Hot and Spicy Pecans

I enjoyed something like these years ago, but remembered a sweet element to the flavor; so, I pursued the comments for suggestions adding that element. Also, I heeded some comments that said the recipe sounded/smelled good, but was bland. I also wanted a larger batch (3 Cups), so I adjusted things and settled on: 3 Tbs butter 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp salt (might try “seasoning” salt someday) 3 Tbs brown sugar 4 tsp chili powder 1 1/4 tsp garlic powder 3 Cups pecan halves Melt butter in a microwave bowl. Add all remaining ingredients save the nuts and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool a bit so it’s less runny and more “clingy”. Add the nuts and sir to coat. Let these rest a bit and stir again to get more of the coating to stick. Bake (see below) in a pre-heated oven. I went with a lower temp (275 F), and shorter time (15-20 mins) as there was sugar in my ingredients and burning was mentioned in many comments (sugar or no). I hate stirring/turning small items, so I used the “air fryer” pan-and-tray gear in my toaster oven and these did well with no stirring/turning. If you’re not set up for that, spread the coated nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and plan on stirring/flipping every 5 minutes or so. I found it fascinating that sequential comments would either recommend cranking the pepper way up or complain that the spices were “too hot”… a real testimony to the variance in individual preferences. As always, you should tweak this concoction to your personal taste.

After making multiple batches of spiced nuts I found that you can do these in an instant pot. I used the saute function to melt Coconut oil and to quickly brown the nuts. I then turned on the slow cooker function (left the lid off) and stired the nuts every 20 min or so. You don’t have to worry about burning your batches.

I have made these before by the recipe and they were great! This time I spiced them up more, I added 1/2 t. Cayenne pepper 1/2 t. Salt 2 t. Chili powder 1 t. Paprika Couple heavy splashes Tabasco Splash of soy sauce

Followed the recipe exactly. At 20 minutes I could tell they were getting close and took them out at 25 minutes. I tasted them as they baked and I thought they were a bit spicy but the next day I didn’t think they were too spicy at all. All of the chili powder ended up in the bottom of the container though. I definitely want to make this again so I may increase the liquid ingredients slightly and perhaps mix the chili powder in with the other ingredients not tossing them in at the end. These are exceptional in taste and will only be better if the chili powder stays on. Definitely worthy of giving as a gift. I wasn’t exactly sure what ground red pepper was but the internet listed ground cayenne pepper as a substitute for red pepper so that is what I did. I don’t know if that’s what the submitter meant in the recipe.

Mine keeps burning. I think next time I’ll cook it at 200-225 so I can catch it when it’s done but not overdone.

Added brown sugar. Adjusted the recipe by increasing the Worcestershire to 1.5 tablespoons. Also mixed chili powder right into the bowl. Coated the pecans and baked according to the recipe. Put the baked pecans in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, stirred it well and voila, a delicious treat.

This is my go-to recipe for pecans! We buy the big bags from Sam’s club. I follow the recipe but am heavy handed with the spices, especially the red pepper flakes! I also add a good sized tbsp of brown sugar and a heavy shake or 3 of ground cayenne pepper. I snack on these and use them in salads. If I bring then to work my colleagues go crazy over them!

Easy recipe, and great if you don’t over bake ! I cooked mine in the toaster oven at the stated temp and they were done in 18 minutes. They had a crispy bite, but still had the nutty texture I wanted on the inside.

I loved this snack to take on a road trip. Just the right amount of heat for me and it was a big hit. Why buy them when you can make them so easily.

We love extra spicy so I added an extra teaspoon full of cayenne pepper. My clients absolutely loved these.

This is so easy and so tasty. Only comment I would make is to be aware of the heat in the chile powder and gauge how much cayenne to add based on that. We like it with lots of heat but I tone it down if I am serving it to people who prefer it milder. It is just so easy and quick to make.

These were good but next time I will cut down on the chili powder and increase the garlic.

These were really good and I followed others advice to lower the cook temp and check often.

Great taste. But were a little over cooked. I recommend lowering temperature or decreasing cook time.

I’ve made these several times, starting with pecans straight from the shell. The first time I was conservative with the pepper and chili powder, afraid I was about to ruin my pecans; these aren’t the spices I’d usually choose. But by the second time, and every time since (half a dozen times by now), I’ve followed this to the letter and they’ve come out perfectly. Perhaps if you started with store-bought pecans that were drier you’d need to adjust the cooking time or temp, but for just-shelled pecans the directions and ingredients are perfect.

These are delicious, will definitely make again!

Very savory. I followed the recipe but used another reviewer’s suggestion to cook them at 250 degrees. They came out with very mild spice, but plenty of flavor.

I concur with other cooks who advise to lower temp. Consider a test run with small batch first. If you have unsatisfactory results at 300 degrees, reduce temp to 275 on successive batch, and watch carefully between the 20 minute -30 minute cooking time so as not to over bake. It may seem as though nuts are not finished because coating seems moist, but as nuts cool, the coating congeals and coats well. Stir nuts frequently as they cool out of oven so they do not adhear to baking sheet. You can make this recipe work with practice. Try honey or brown sugar if you want sweet and spicy!

I made these and gave them as Christmas presents in pretty packages…They LOVED them…thanks for sharing this recipe!

Although I kept stirring, I should have taken them out much earlier or turned the oven heat WAY down. Even though they looked edible, although over cooked when I first took them out, after they cooled they were totally inedible–spices were so burnt. Bummer because nuts are so expensive!

These are wonderful – nice change