Who doesn’t love the aroma of cinnamon and maple? Even if you’re trying to eat healthier, you can still enjoy the taste of candied nuts with these lightened up Paleo Maple Glazed Pecans.
Have you ever walked through the mall and smelled something cinnamony and sweet and just had to have it? We live near a small mall. At the holidays, they sell candied pecans. They roast these pecans in the sugary syrup right in the mall and that aroma fills every.part. of the whole mall. If there was hope for having willpower against getting a paper cone loaded with sugared pecans, all hope is lost with one little sniff.
Candied pecans and almonds are truly one of my favorite snacks. I knew I had to try to make them a bit healthier by using some pure maple syrup to sweeten them. They’re not as sweet as those mall treats, but they make me happy because I know they’re healthier for me.
These pictures show a mixture of almonds and pecans. Our favorite nuts to use in this recipe are pecans, but when we’re in the mood for a nutty snack, we use whatever nuts happen to be in the house. Pecans…almonds…walnuts…you name it and we’ve tried it.
The trick to getting the candied nuts perfect is making sure you froth the egg whites. I recommend doing this with a stand mixer or handheld mixer. If I had to whisk the eggs until they were frothy with just arm-power, I’d totally give up. I’m a whimp like that. With the mixer, it takes just two minutes to get the eggs white and bubbly.
You’ll then add the vanilla, cinnamon and salt. If the nuts are salted, you may not want to add any extra salt. I normally have unsalted nuts on hand for baking, so we use unsalted and add a touch of salt.
Next you’ll add in the maple syrup. You want 100% pure maple syrup in order for these to be paleo. As much as I love Aunt Jemima drizzled over my stack of buttermilk pancakes, she just doesn’t make the cut when it comes to eating paleo.
I generally use two tablespoons of maple syrup for this recipe. For us, two tablespoons just gives the little bit of sweetness that I need in a snack. Add in a little bit more if you’d like them sweeter.
Mix about 5 cups of nuts into the egg white mixture and spread them on a lined or sprayed baking sheet. Do you own a Silpat baking mat
yet? If not, join the club and get one. I don’t know what I’d do without them. They’ve made a difference in our cookie making and are great for baking these nuts, too.
The coated pecans will go in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes. Stir the nuts every 15 minutes to make sure that they egg mixture is baking evenly.
And there you go. A healthy version of a classic. Just for you! 🙂
Paleo Maple Glazed Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 5 cups pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the whites until they are frothy, about 2 minutes. You can also use a handheld mixer for this.
- Add the vanilla, cinnamon, salt and maple syrup to the egg whites.
- Add the pecans to the egg mixture and mix until the nuts are coated.
- Spread the nuts on a baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray or is lined with a silpat non-stick baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the nuts every 15 minutes.
Notes
Use whatever nuts you'd like....almonds, pecans, or walnuts. We like pecans the best.
Nutrition
Aggie says
Mmmm I can smell these from here, I love candied nuts. These look amazing.
Chicago Jogger says
I agree, I love the smell of sweet, roasted nuts! This version looks so tasty 🙂
Joanie Zisk says
These look fantastic and I love that they are healthier too. These would leave me feeling no guilt snacking on them throughout the day.
heather @french press says
sounds like the perfect afternoon pick-me-up
Stephanie @ Back for Seconds says
I almost can’t stand how awesome these look. I am craving them in a bad way now!!!
Sylvie Shirazi says
I’d be nibbling on these all day, love that crunchy sweet combo!
Nutmeg Nanny says
I love these glazed pecans and I really love that they are paleo friendly…delicious!
Jennifer @NourishedSimply says
Love pecan. These look delicious.
Beth says
I always get sugared almonds at the fair, why haven’t I made them at home before?! Gorgeous!
Serene @ House of Yumm says
I can almost smell them already! I bet it’s heavenly. And I definitely need to join the club and get a Silpat Baking Mat. It’s on my list of things to do 🙂
Connie | URBAN BAKES says
I could seriously devour all of this! I LOVE pecans!
Cindy McBride says
Would parch,net paper make a difference?
Lizzy T says
I think as long as you spray a pan with cooking spray you’ll be good. Use parchment, non-stick baking mat, whatever you normally use so that what you are baking doesn’t stick to the pan.
Cindy McBride says
Would parch,net paper make a big difference?
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
Mmmm – pecans are my favorite and I know I would love these!
[email protected] says
Wow do these look addicting!
Mary says
When do you add the maple syrup? I was planning on trying to make this today but wasn’t sure if I should add the maple syrup to the eggs before or after when you add the salt.
Julie Clark says
Thanks for finding this mistake, Mary! You can add the maple syrup in when you add the salt. I’ve updated the recipe.
Gemma says
How do your nuts look so light with all that cinnamon? I found I could not taste the maple syrup at all…
Julie Clark says
We went very light on the maple syrup, so you’re right. It’s not a strong maple flavor and not very sweet. You can always add a bit more if you’d like!
Danita says
Do you use raw nuts for this recipe?
Julie Clark says
Yes, I did use raw pecans.
DAVE says
that pecan recipe was the wost thing ive ever eaten
try adding sugar to i it!!!!
THANKS FOR MAKING ME WASTE $7 ON A POUND OF PECANS!
Julie Clark says
I’m sorry you didn’t like it…the purpose of the recipe was that it does not have sugar for those trying to stay away from it.
Donna in Inwood says
I eat a lot of nuts, and I always soak and dry my nuts in a dehydrator. Almond, cashews, walnuts, pecans, plus pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds — I always buy these in bulk, soak them overnight and dry them in the dehydrator to make them easier to digest. Some people call them “prepared” nuts.
My question — could I use my prepared pecans for this recipe? They’ll be twice-cooked, so to speak — once in my dehydrator (150 degrees for 24 hours), and again in oven for 45 mins at 250 degrees.
Do you have any experience with dehydrated pecans? They are crisp and easy to break apart with your hands. I’m afraid that after two cooking sessions, the nuts would up being too brittle and crumbly. What do you think? thanks.
Julie Clark says
I don’t have any experience with dehydrated pecans, but I think they’d be worth trying in this recipe! They sound delicious!
Anonymous says
The egg white taste is too strong