Southern Cinnamon Sugared Pecans

By ninebirch

I found this recipe on a can of evaporated milk many years ago, and I make up many batches each year to take to parties and give as gifts at Christmas. These are wonderful.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups shelled pecan halves

Preparation

Step 1

Directions:

1 In a large sauce pan over medium heat, combine evaporated milk, sugar, water and vanilla.

2 Heat mixture, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved.

3 Add cinnamon and stir. Some may float on top.

4 Add 3 cups of pecans to mixture and stir to cover.

5 Continue stirring pecans in mixture until pecans become coated well and mixture cooks away (gets absorbed/crystalized on the the pecans).

6 Spread hot coated pecans on wax paper; try to separate them as you spread them on the paper.

7 Let pecans cool completely.

8 Break apart pecans and store in air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

9 To give as gifts, put in decorative glass jars or decorative tins lined with wax paper.

10 NOTE: I've tried using brown sugar (1:1 with the white sugar), but the pecans have a tendency to come out sticky and the sugars don't get 'crystalized'. I have not tried these with turbinado or unbleached cane sugar yet. If they don't turn out right, I'll have to keep them for myself !