Make these Slow Cooker Candied Pecans for gifts or serve at your holiday parties.
Have you ever made candied pecans? This recipe makes a full 2 pounds of candied pecans, but none will go to waste. They last about a week in an airtight container and make great gifts. I plan to make another batch in a few weeks and mail them along with my gifts for my family in California.
The recipe starts with egg whites and vanilla extract and is whisked together until very frothy.
Then I add this mixture over the pecans and stir until the pecans are well coated with the egg white mixture
Then I pour over the sugar and spices over the wet pecans.
Then it’s time for the slow cooker to “roast” the nuts. I cook the coated pecans for 3 hours on low, stirring every 20 minutes. Doing this keeps them from burning.
Some recipes call for adding water at the end of the cooking time. I do not do this. I love the way the nuts are at this stage. I think the water is to make them shiny, I think they are perfect as is.
I could not stop eating these candied pecans. Especially when I opened the lid every 20 minutes to stir. I think I may have eaten half of them before they were done. I will be making these again real soon, I need to get another batch in before the holidays are over. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Have a great week.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 lbs. whole pecans
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk the egg whites and vanilla until very frothy, this may take a minute or two. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, stir until combined. Set aside.
- Put the pecans in a large bowl, pour over the eggs white and vanilla mixture. Stir until the pecans are evenly coated. Pour over the sugar mixture and stir until the pecans are coated.
- Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray or coat the bottom and edges with a little oil. Add the sugar coated pecans.
- Cover. Set the slow cooker to low temperature. Cook for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
- When the cooking time is done, pour the nuts onto a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Cool for 30 minutes before storing or packaging into bags. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
You may also like: Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Do these end up being super crunchy?
I’ve been making these with almonds for the past year or more. Takes time but oh so good!!!
Could you do this with walnuts?
Yes, I think it would work fine, they may break a part a bit but still would be good.
Can you make this with Almonds instead? We don’t much care for pecans.
Yes, I think almonds would work great.
Can you use Splenda?
I’m unsure how much to use.
Have you ever tried cashews? Do you think those would turn out good? I see almonds work great too, the pecans came out perfect!
I made this this Christmas as somewhat as an afterthought. I should always have such great afterthoughts. They were terrific and everybody loved them. I even loved them and I am not a pecan fan. But just a little information on cooking time. I used a cooker with a lock down top and I think that shortens the cooking time. I guess it holds the heat in better? Anyway, mine were done at 2 1/2 hours. When I tried for the three I started to get some burning.