Sweet and Spicy Candied Bourbon Pecans
Posted: 04/06/2012
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Sugar. Bourbon. Pecans. These bourbon pecans are dangerously good. Picture them sprinkled on top of ice cream, cheesecake, or a salad.
Sugar. Bourbon. Pecans. These suckers are dangerous.
Dangerously good.
I’m picturing them sprinkled on top of ice cream. They’re so good topping this baked Brie with cranberries appetizer. Or arranged on top of a pumpkin cheesecake. Or heck, throw them on a salad! The possibilities are endless.
Let’s not overlook the fact that they are really good on their own, too. Or as a simple snack with a Vanilla Bourbon Fizz!
They have just a touch of cayenne so you aren’t overwhelmed by the sweetness of the sugar and bourbon.
About these Candied Bourbon Pecans
Guys! These are SO good. Perfect for gifting, perfect for holiday parties, perfect for anything. They’re nice and sweet, with the toasted flavor of the pecans coming through. But then you get just a touch of spicy and salty. And then the best part…the bourbon! It’s a subtle flavor but it’s noticeable and really sets these apart from standard candied nuts.
Craving more great nut recipes? Try:
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
cups
Sugar. Bourbon. Pecans. These bourbon pecans are dangerously good. Picture them sprinkled on top of ice cream, cheesecake, or a salad.
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 3 cups pecan halves (12 oz. package)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil, parchment paper, or Silpat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg white with bourbon until frothy. Stir in pecans, mixing until moistened.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cayenne until combined. Sprinkle over moistened nuts, gently stir to combine and spread onto prepared pan evenly in one layer.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. They burn quickly so keep an eye on them! I stir them after 10 minutes, then 10 minutes again, then 5 minutes, and after another 5 minutes, they are typically perfectly browned. The pecans should look dry, not sticky.
- Cool completely. They will crisp more as they cool. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
serving size: 1/4 cup
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1g, Calories: 216kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g, Sodium: 93mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Verdict: So tasty.
Husband’s take: Exact words? “I wish I had a beer to go with these!”
Changes I would make: Well, I’m not going to lie…a few got burnt. I’d keep a closer eye on them next time!
Difficulty: Easy. Just don’t burn them. Pecans are too expensive to go burning…trust me.
Linda Dyer says
Has anyone made these with pecans and walnuts?
Rachel Gurk says
I haven’t tried that, but it should work great!
Charlie says
Love this recipe! I always tweak them a bit to add my own twist, so I put some vanilla extract and used brown sugar instead of white. Damn delicious!!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like these! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Emily says
How long do these last? I’d like to mail them to family as a gift…
Rachel Gurk says
That should be fine! They should last a week or two.
Jeff says
Great recipe. We modified it to have a scant 1/8th teaspoon of cinnamon, and a little less cayenne, also super tasty.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked these, Jeff! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Ken says
How about melted butter instead of egg whites?
Rachel Gurk says
I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t promise results, but let me know if you try it and how it turns out! It would definitely taste great, I know that!
Debbie says
Can this recipe be used in the slow cooker
Rachel Gurk says
I have never tried it that way and I don’t think it would work very well.
Diana M. Boltz says
I make nuts to give away to neighbors and friends at Christmas. This year I tried these Bourbon pecans. They are now our favorite and will become not only the Christmas treat to give, but our camping and snack time treat
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so happy to hear you like these, Diana! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Jessica says
trying these right now to put on a spinach, apple, bacon salad for thanksgiving
Rachel Gurk says
Yum!!!
Kathleen says
I make a very similar recipe to these with water instead of bourbon. I am going to try these with the bourbon but will follow my other recipes baking temp. and time. Those call for a 250 oven and bake for one hour, stirring every 15 min. Burning is never an issue at this temp and once they cool, the nuts are crispy and crunchy. Looking forward to seeing how they taste!
Rachel Gurk says
Good tips! Hope you love them with bourbon!
indianaAnna says
I just made these but since I didn’t have bourbon, I used Irish whiskey. Delicious! I think next time I’ll add a bit more salt and up the amount of cayenne to the full 1/4 tsp.