Spicy Pecans

My holiday gifts consist of a few simple traditions: dry humor postcards, jam thumbprints, and spicy pecans. If your lucky, you get all three, but that's a rare achievement. Here I unveil the secret behind the addictive little nut nuggets...

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup -plus- 1 Tbs Brown Sugar (dark or light works)

1 Tbs Water

1 Tbs Unsalted Butter

Pinch (or more) Cayenne Pepper (omit if you can't handle the heat)

1 1/2 - 2 Cups Raw, Unsalted Pecans

Special Equipment:

Parchment Paper - forget this step and you'll be scraping sticky bits off your sheet pan instead of kicking your feet up and munching pecans.

The Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

2. Melt brown sugar, water, butter, and cayenne pepper (to taste) together in a medium size pot over medium heat

3. Add in your pecans and stir to coat

4. Spread evenly on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes

5. Remove from oven, toss to coat once again and bake for an additional 5 minutes

6. They're done, let cool, share if willing.

PS - I've heard these go great on an Arugula, Goat Cheese, Beet Salad!

{wishing you a wonderful holiday season}