I am not normally a fan of nuts, but creating these delicious candied nuts is a perfect addition to our diet in many ways. Topped on a nice green salad or in our homemade trail mix (with raisins and the like), or simply served as an evening treat. We love combining them with raisins for a travel snack. Great way to increase nutrition but also add an extra bit of protein to the diet (especially good for pregnant mommy!) Delicious! You can use pecans or walnuts, as desired.
According to Nourishing Traditions, “Pecans contain calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. They are an exceptionally rich source of manganese. Like all nuts from large trees whose roots extend far down into the earth, pecans are good sources of trace minerals. They contain B complex vitamins, carotenoids and vitamin C in small amounts. They will last about four months at room temperature.” Choose raw nuts for the highest nutrient value!
Candied Pecans
1 egg white
1Tbsp water
1 pound pecans/walnut halves or pieces (we like pecan pieces -easy for Karis to munch on!)
1/3-1/2 cup sweetener (sucanat, rapadura, or maple syrup -use 1/3 cup if using maple syrup)
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Beat egg white together with water until it becomes stiff and fluffy. Fold in the sweetener, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Add pecans and toss to coat. Spread out on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, rotating every 15 minutes.
SOAKING: It is recommended to soak nuts due to their enzyme inhibitors that can irritate the mouth and cause digestive problems. If you desire to do so, soak nuts prior to use by combining nuts with filtered water, leave in a warm place, and allow to soak for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain and spread on a stainless steel baking pan/cookie sheet and place in a warm oven (no more than 150 degrees) for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally, until dry and crisp.
Happy nut snacking!
Hi Lindsay,
Love your recipes
I have a question about making this candied pecans recipe using raw nuts by soaking the nuts first and dehydrating them so they remain raw and soaked prior to making them…
I was wondering when soaking the nuts first, would you suggest adding the wet mixture to the soaked/ rinsed nuts then placing in the dehydrator OR dehydrate the soaked/rinsed nuts first then add the wet mixture and dehydrate again?
Thanks!
I was looking for a natural way to make candied pecans and found your website. I have a question. When you bake them do you not have to turn them at all?
These look really good and can’t wait to try them.
Would raw honey work in place of maple syrup?
Yes. It is just not as ideal because you kill many of the nutritional properties of raw honey in the heating process.
Hey there! I came across this recipe from your Pear & Blue Cheese salad. One question I have is what kind of filtered water source you use for soaking? Can I use water from the tap if the city water is filtered? If not, how about a water pitcher from Target? I’m thinking I could get a larger one that sits on the counter for soaking. What are your thoughts?
Thanks for the salad recipe – love your website!
I use a Pur water filter that sits on my kitchen counter. It provides decent filtered, chlorine free water for all my soaking needs. The key is to avoid the chlorine if possible.
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I thought I was allergic to walnuts and recently pecans because they made my mouth itchy! Can’t wait to try soaking them, hope it “cures” me! Thanks for the tip!
Thank you sooooo incredibly much for posting this recipe!!! It’s the first candied nuts recipe that has actually worked for me. I made it today with my little sis. We put about a third of them on your chocolate coffee cake recipe and we were intending to use the rest to make trail mix for a road trip, but they were munched to oblivion by the entire household (myself included). They are so yummy and addicting
Will certainly make again.
I started making these for Christmas a few years ago…then packaged them as little gifts for friends. They have become a huge favorite now throughout the year!
these look awesome! We eat so many nuts in our house and I will have to try these. I have Nourishing Traditions too, love it!
thanks
Hi Lindsay,
I’m not writing about candied pecans, but to announce: I’m a mommy!
Little Clara Joy was born Sunday at 7:33 AM weighing 8 lbs 10 oz and 20 in long. She is absolutely beautiful, vibrant, healthy, and a precious gift from God. We have a few more details (and pictures!) on our blog with more to follow.
God bless!
Sounds really good. What is sucanat and rapadura?
Check out my Guide to Natural Sweeteners.
These look so yummy! I can’t wait to give them a try. I just wish I could find a local source for reapadura. I looked at Azure, but there shipping to New Hampshire was just too high. Those of you who are along there routes are SO lucky. I guess I will be using maple syrup.
This is the exact recipe my mom has been making since I was a little girl. I started making them a couple years ago for my husband and his family and they quickly became one of their favorites. I couldn’t believe that every ingredient and size measure was exactly the same as my mom’s recipe. Awesome!
Those look so yummy! I love pecans, especially since we are often given free ones from friend’s yards, and would really like to soak them, but the twelve hour drying would take some work to fit into a schedule. That’s a long time!
Candied pecans are scarily good. This sounds like a great recipe! I would only dare to make them with lots of people around, because there is no way I can stop eating them!
Love your blog!
Oooh! My hubby loves nuts! I might make some up for him in a little jar with some fabric on the lid, raffia, and note saying “I’m Nutty About You!”
Lindsay,
Thank you so much for posting these! My Mother in law made these a few years ago the traditional way…with lots of brown sugar. They were WONDERFUL, but I never made them because of how unhealthy they were. I’m excited about trying your healthy recipe! Thanks!
I prepared pumpkin seeds from her recipe on Saturday. They came out so good I decided to try hazelnuts… when she says skin she does *not* mean shell… whoops. I felt so… well DH is disappointed. Any ideas on how to selvage burnt hazelnuts?
These are *delicious* in yogurt too, with some apples and grapes mixed in. A great snack
These look yummy! I soaked pecans for the first time a few months ago – and wow the flavor is amazing! Completely eliminates the bite I often notice with pecans, and made them so smooth & buttery tasting. It was easy, and the results were definitely worthwhile. (I didn’t have a stainless steel pan, so I used my stoneware bar pan – it worked well, and I think sped up the drying process)