by the recipe: the spirit of giving

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For the past 11 years, Beloved has enlisted me to help with gifts for his co-workers, for Christmas.

It was an easy decision. I love to bake, I would bake gifts. There have been orange and cranberry mini loaves. There have been tins of shortbread. There have been tins of mixed cookies.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon candied pecans. Pralines by some definitions. However, mine do not contain cream, so I do think that candied is the appropriate description.

Shiny. Crunchy. Delicious.

It has become my go to gift item. It’s easy. The ratio of time and results created is perfect. Today, with Beloved’s help and two frying pans, we made 4 Kg (about 9 pounds) of pecans, in only two hours. Forty-six bags, tied up with ribbon.

Candied Pecans

You can use any nut for this recipe. We prefer pecans. Be patient. Progress is slow. If you plan on making more than one batch, the pan warms up and moves things along quite quickly. Do not walk away from your pan. The melted sugar goes from a yummy caramel colour to burnt in the blink of an eye.

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Lay a long strip of parchment paper on your counter.

In a non-stick frying pan or skillet, add the butter, sugar and vanilla. Place over medium heat.
As the butter melts, stir into the sugar.

This is where the patience comes in. Keeping a close eye, watch the sugar mixture thicken and begin to bubble.
Stir.
Once the sugar is completely melted and looks like caramel, add the pecans.
Stir to coat the pecans the best you can, keeping the pan on the burner.
At this point, the sugar may go from a creamy appearance to an amber, liquid form, it is a short time to burning.

Spoon the pecans onto the parchment paper and allow to cool. If they are clumped together. You can sometimes break them apart once cooled. If you want individual pecans, make sure to work quickly with a buttered spoon to get them out of the pan.

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.