Candied Pecans

Candied pecans are super easy, pretty quick, and can be made 100 ways. You can add cinnamon, brown sugar, cayenne, any crazy extract although I think Root Beer might be a bit odd, nutmeg, curry powder...
You can also use any nut or any combination of nuts. Pecans is what I had on hand so it's what I made. I have another recipe which I will post sometime for candied nuts which is a little different than this one and I tend to use it more often. My husband was pretty happy to come home from work to a bowl of these to munch on though. They can be sprinkled on fudge, the toffee from yesterdays post, salad for a nice treat, or stirred into cookies or brownies, anything really.

Candied Pecans

-1 cup pecans
-1/3 cup granulated sugar
-1 tablespoon butter
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Line a baking pan with non-stick foil or a Silpat. You can also butter regular foil.
2. In a heavy skillet combine nuts, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Cook over medium-high heat, shaking occasionally, until sugar begins to melt. You do not want to stir it yet.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook the mixture until it is golden brown, now it's okay to stir occasionally. Remove from heat, pour onto the prepared baking pan. Cool completely.
4. Break into pieces. Store tightly covered for up to three weeks.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook