Maple syrup! Wow! That would be great! Thank you!

I made them your way and they were WONDERFUL! I wasn't sure how much maple syrup to use. I poured in too much, thought better of it, and spooned some out til there was just an 1/8 of an inch on the bottom of the pan. I stopped stirring when they were drier and sticky. I had to hide them from my guests to have enough for the salad! So easy and good! Thank you!

Here's my recipe.

spicy Bourbon pecans

1/2 cup good bourbon
1 lb pecan halves
1 T. corn oil
1 T. worcestershire
sauce
1/2 teaspoon angostura bitters
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to
350.
1) in small saucepan, simmer bouron over medium heat until reduced
by 1/4. Blanch pecans in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain.

2) In large bowl, combine bourbon, oil, worcestershire, bitters,
sugar. Add hot pecans and toss well. Let stand for 10 minutes.

3) spread pecans in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for
30-40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, or until they are crisp and
liquid has evaporated.

4)
Transfer to large clean bowl and toss with spices (as follows),
about 1-1/2 teaspoon spices, 1/2 t. salt, 1/4 t. pepper.

Spices---Emeril's "Essence"
(This makes a lot more than this recipe needs, but I use it for a lot of other things. You can just reduce the recipe proportionally, if you
like)
2-1/2 T. paprika
2 T. salt
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. black pepper
1 T. onion powder
1 T. cayenne pepper
1 T. dried leaf oregano
1 T. dried thyme.

Store in airtight container.

Hints:
the recipe does not seem to work with Splenda. And make sure
the pecans are crisp... better slightly overdone than underdone.

I make these during the holidays.

Honey Chipotle Pecans

An addictive combination of sweet and spicy. Store in sealed container.

2 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups pecan halves

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a medium microwave safe mixing bowl, combine the honey, chipotle powder, and ground cinnamon. Warm through. (You can also do this on the stove over low heat.)

Stir nuts into warmed honey mixture. Still well to coat. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, spread honey-coated nuts in a single layer. Bake until toasted and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine the sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Remove from oven and allow to cool only slightly (no more than a minute or two-- you want them to still be sticky.)

In a medium sized mixing bowl dump the hot nuts and add the sugar/salt mix tossing to combine. Spread nuts on cold waxed paper or parchment paper and let dry. It's best if they don't touch each other.

Serve or store covered until ready to eat.

Thank you both! It would be nice to have a snacking version.

I also want to make something for my husband for Christmas: but he doesn't eat anything that is sweet or tastes sweet. he is not a diabetic, but avoids sugar. Anyone have any all-savory snack nuts recipes?

My recipe does not work with other sweeteners (well, perhaps honey, but I've never tried that), because the sugar helps to crisp up the nuts. BUT, the actual amount of sugar used is quite small per pound of nuts. And the spiciness is dominant, not the sweetness.

Linnea, glad you enjoyed them. I have to hide them from myself! Forgot to add that I usually sprinkle them with some kosher or sea salt toward the end of their time in the skillet.

Union Square Bar Nuts only have 2 teaspoons of sugar. They're best served warm, IMO.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/union-square-cafes-bar-nuts-50185978

Variation: https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/12/union-square-cafes-bar-nuts/

Toss the pecans with melted butter, some ground chilis or chili powder ( which often contains cumin) and some garlic powder and toast in a 300 oven, tossing once for about1 5 minutes....don't scorch!

Linnea56, this one's for your husband. These are wonderful. I double the recipe for a large group.

ROSEMARY WALNUTS

Makes 2 cups

Source: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

2 cups crispy walnuts (see recipe below; regular non-raw walnuts can be used instead)

2 Tbps. butter

2 Tbps. dried rosemary

1 tsp. sea salt.

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I use about 1/2 this amt)

Melt butter, add the seasonings and mix well to blend. Add walnuts, toss until butter is incorporated. Spread on cookie sheet, bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

-----

Crispy Walnuts

4 cups raw walnut halves and pieces

2 tsp. sea salt

filtered water to cover

Mix walnuts with the salt and filtered water and leave in a warm place for at least 7 hours or overnight. Drain in a colander. Spread on baking sheet and place in a preheated warm oven no higher than 150F (if your oven doesn't go down to 150F, use your lowest setting with oven door left open) for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally, until dry and crisp. Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Thanks! Walnuts are his favorite, and we love rosemary! I even have 2 rosemary plants I brought in to overwinter.

I've never seen walnuts that weren't raw. That procedure with water and salt seems unusual / odd. Why not just roast them slowly?

We buy large bags of walnuts from Costco, or smaller bags from Trader Joe's. They're not labeled "raw"; raw nuts are clearly marked "raw" on the label. The purpose of this soaking procedure is to reduce the phytic acid content of the nuts which is a concern for some people. They really are tasty good after the long roasting!

Thanks for the explanation. I buy big bags at Sam's Club. No Costco near here. I just checked the bag, you are right, these are not labelled "raw" either. I just assumed they were raw.

I was aware of phytic acid but more with foods like spinach, with regard to it's iron binding capacity. When I was anemic years back, I paid attention to that. But the article also says that phytates are useful for their anti-cancer properties. Both of us have had cancer. Maybe it's better not to neutralize it for us. Obviously this will need more research.

Here is another recipe along the "nut" lines.... Sour Cream Walnuts, from Carol/Readinglady. The photo is not mine...I believe the photo is from Carol -- if I'm mistaken, please correct me. These are delicious!!!!

I also made this for my cousin as a Christmas gift and he could not stop eating them!

Sour Cream Walnuts

1 cup brown sugar *


1/2 cup white sugar *

1/2 cup sour cream 


1 teaspoon vanilla 


3 cups walnut halves

OPTIONAL for holiday gift-giving…add cinnamon

*or replace these with 1 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup to replace the brown and white sugar stated above

Cook and stir sugars and sour cream to soft ball stage (240 degrees F on candy thermometer).

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Add walnuts stirring gently till coated.

Spread on pan to cool.

To roast the walnuts ahead of time:

You can do them at 350° 8-10 minutes or 275° 15-20. Do keep an eye on them. Under- is better than over-; they will cook a bit more once out of the oven.

I love this thread! I've made spiced pecans for years as gifts and they're always well received. There are some exciting new ideas in this thread and I'm anxious to try them this year. Walnuts can be a problem for some folks, but pecans seem to be less of an irritant. I buy PECAN Halves at Costco. They seem to be raw.

Vernon's Spiced Nuts from Party Popourri Cookbook (Memphis Junior League 1971)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

6 T evaporated milk (half & half works well too)

1 tsp vanilla (I use Penzey's double strength)

2-3 cups of Pecan halves

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt and milk together in a saucepan. boil to a soft ball stage (200 on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat. (this part is a bit trial and error, I know they're done when it's crystalizing on the sides of the pan) Add vanilla and nuts. If it's too goopy, add more nuts. Stir until grainy and turn out on waxed paper. Separate nuts when cook and store in a tight container. They keep for quite a long time. Enjoy!

I make a habit of copying any spiced/flavored nut recipes I come across, so I need to get busy for a few minutes here, but I will also share this recipe. I created it for my husband and it might appeal to those who like something less sweet. You could try it with less sugar and just rely on the cranberries to counter the pepper. The paprika provides a touch of savory sweet, but it's main purpose, honestly, is to add color to the egg white. You can leave it out and the pecans will be a frosted white.

Orange Cranberry Peppered Pecans

1 egg white, beaten until foamy, then whisk in

1/4 cup sugar
1 T coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
finely grated zest of one small orange (I used a
clemantine for the small batch and a large orange when I doubled it later --
both good)

Blend well and then stir in 2-1/2 to 3 cups nuts
(I used pecans) and a generous 1/2 cup or so of
dried cranberries.

Spread on parchment covered cookie sheet and bake
at 300 about 15 minutes, then reduce to 250 and bake another 5-10 minutes or
until the nuts are toasted and fragrant.

As soon as you take them out of the oven, spread
on a clean sheet of parchment to cool -- they will stick to the coating on the
baked parchment when they cool if left on the same sheet. Using a silicone mat wasn't an improvement.

Sushipup, I have to try your bourbon pecan recipe for my son. That and the crispy walnuts are new ideas for me and both look good. I might even make some today or tomorrow. I'm sending a package to my son and need a few thank you gifts.

Here's another, this one for walnuts - my grandmother's Oranged Walnuts. Recipients have told me they cannot stop eating them. You could use pecans instead if you wish.

I've doubled the amount of walnuts for a total of almost 4 cups. A lot of the syrup falls to the bottom of the pan and can be used to coat the additional nuts. If you prefer a thicker coating of syrup, then just use the 2 cups called for in the recipe. Experiment by adding 1 additional cup at a time, working quickly before the syrup hardens.

Oranged Walnuts

1-1/2 C sugar
1/4 C orange juice (if possible, use fresh squeezed)
1/4 C water
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 C walnut halves

Pour nuts into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with orange zest.

Combine sugar, orange juice, and water in saucepan; cook to softball stage (234F).

Remove from heat. Pour over nuts, and quickly mix well until the syrup becomes cloudy and hard to stir. Quickly turn out onto waxed paper or buttered cookie sheet.

Separate into small clusters with 2 forks.

Makes 3 cups.

Bookmom41--I made your "maple" recipe today with walnuts, cashews and pecans ... dang! I added a bit of cinnamon but decided to not do a dash of salt. Double dang! SOOOOO VERY GOOOOOOOD!!!!!!

Smiles,

Sooz

Sooz—glad you enjoyed them. That mix of nuts is a great idea and sounds perfect for gift-giving.

Wow, we're getting so many wonderful recipes here! I am looking forward to making some of these! Now I need a good block of time when my husband is not home to see me making his present.