These whiskey candied pecans will make your house smell like a festival! Easy to make, crunchy, and just the right amount of sweet, these easy glazed pecans are a perfect homemade gift or easy make-ahead treat!
If you’ve ever been to a Christmas market, festival, or fair, you know this smell. The smell of glazed pecans, perfectly spiced and fragrant. There’s no way to miss it, and even if you don’t purchase, you’re drawn to the scent. This candied pecan recipe makes your house smell like that!
In fact, I had to keep my youngest from eating straight off the set during my shoot! There’s something so satisfying about eating these pecans!
But the best part is how easy they are to make.
How to make whiskey candied pecans…
You start with a few ingredients you probably already have on hand. Mix everything up, then bake until the nuts are crunchy and your house smells irresistible.
It really is that straightforward, but you know I have a few notes for you.
First, let’s talk about whiskey. If you don’t have any on hand, or don’t want to use any in the recipe, skip it. While it adds a bit of flavor, it’s not a make-or-break ingredient. You may also substitute bourbon. Otherwise, water works just fine. Any alcohol evaporates out during the baking time.
Second, egg white. To get that airy crunchy coating on the nuts, an egg white is required. I believe you could also substitute some aquafaba (chickpea can water), but I haven’t done that yet.
Use a fresh egg white, not one from a carton. The pasteurized egg whites sold in cartons don’t whip up as well. You need the egg white to whip into a good foam so you get festival-worthy candied pecans!
This is a recipe where using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or immersion blender (with a whisk attached) really helps! You need to whip the egg white until stiff peaks form. This takes about 2 minutes with mixer assistance. By hand, it’s quite the workout!
You aren’t limited to pecans!
If you don’t have pecans on hand, this exact recipe will work with almonds, walnuts, or any assortment of nuts.
Because you need to bake the nuts though, start with unroasted and unsalted nuts. Otherwise, roasted nuts will burn while you are baking and your coating won’t have time to get crunchy.
Finally, you might be wondering if the pecans will end up grainy since we don’t actually dissolve the sugar. They don’t!
Fold the sugar into the egg white-coated pecans and it will disslove during the baking. Just make sure that it’s all evenly distributed and there are no big clumps of sugar.
And that’s it! Easy peasy candied pecans!
Use them as party snacks, on cheese and charcuterie boards, or a super quick gluten-free homemade food gift! Happy baking, darlings!
Whiskey Candied Pecans
These whiskey candied pecans will make your house smell like a festival! Easy to make, crunchy, and just the right amount of sweet, these easy glazed pecans are a perfect homemade gift or easy make-ahead treat!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg white (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons whiskey
- 4 cups pecan halves (about 1 pound)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
- Stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form.
- Stir in the whiskey and then carefully stir in the pecan halves until coated. Sprinkle the sugar mix over the pecans and stir until well coated.
- Spread the pecans in a single layer over the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until the pecans are toasted and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The pecans will be crunchy when cool.
- Once completely cool, store the pecans in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Notes
- You won't want to use the liquid pasteurized egg whites in the carton for this. A separated whole egg works best.
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