Candied Pecans Recipe (Taste of Homes)

By JoyT

I pack these crispy pecans in jars tied with pretty ribbon for family and friends. My granddaughter gave some to a doctor at the hospital where she works, and he said they were too good to be true! —Opal Turner, Hughes Springs, Texas

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (2 ounces) equals 380 calories, 30 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 8 mg cholesterol, 177 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Ingredients

• 2-3/4 cups pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened, divided
• 1 cup Imperial Sugar® / Dixie Crystals® Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Details

Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 60mins

Preparation

Step 1

Place pecans in a shallow baking pan in a 250° oven for 10 minutes or until warmed. Grease a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with 1 tablespoon butter; set aside.
Grease the sides of a large heavy saucepan with remaining butter; add sugar, water, salt and cinnamon. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cover and cook for 2 minutes to dissolve sugar crystals.
Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 236° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat; add vanilla. Stir in warm pecans until evenly coated.
Spread onto prepared baking pan. Bake at 250° for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Spread on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet to cool. Yield: about 1 pound.

Editor's Note: We recommend that you test your candy thermometer before each use by bringing water to a boil; the thermometer should read 212°. Adjust your recipe temperature up or down based on your test.