Black Pepper and Cranberry Maple Glazed Pecans

Black Pepper and Cranberry Maple Glazed Pecans. IMG_6416

Palm Springs was excellent and my birthday was a blast. This year, being at my parents’ home in La Quinta, I spent my birthday with my parents and their friends that I’ve known since I was but a wee child. Kevin (a fellow redhead) and Jeanneane Kelly and Becky and Jim Frear, all of whom I can’t recall a time when I didn’t know them. However, I haven’t seen any of them in years! Yeeeeeeeaaaarrrsssss!!! Jeanneane and I figure it’s been somewhere around 14 or 15 years since we’ve seen each other, which is still a crazy concept to me that I’ve been alive long enough to have last seen someone 15 years ago and have been over 10 years old that last time (intriguing concept, eh?).

148903_10100542200472951_1755659680_nWe had the party at a restaurant called “Jillian’s” in Palm Springs, CA. The food was incredible, the service was utterly fantastic, and our server, Charles, had brought this out to me just before dessert:

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A pig made out of a lemon! How cute is that? I had specially requested that he not let anyone order pork from the menu (such a diva on my birthday), which of course, got us into a conversation about having a teacup pig as a pet. So we shared iPhone photos of our pets and right before dessert he and Mindo the maitre d, brought out this lemon pig! What a special touch to dinner 😛

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I arrived home to NC late on Wednesday night and my sweet little piggy was overjoyed to see me. My cats were purring and my ducks were sounding the alarm. It feels so good to feel so loved!

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And what do I do when I’m feeling so loved? I make a batch of these sexy glazed pecans inspired by the Sahale brand nuts “Valdosta Pecans.”  Now, I haven’t had the actual Sahale version in quite some time, as I’m not sure where they sell them outside of Costco (plus, they’re pretty pricy), but I remember the general idea of them having black pepper, cranberries, and I’m pretty sure orange zest and dry apples.

My version tastes the way I remember the Valdosta ones tasting and perhaps a side by side comparison would prove otherwise, but either way they are soooooo good! I’ve already made 3 batches that were intended to be given as gifts, but they were all eaten before they made it out the door (not all by me, I swear!). Plus, they’re featured in Episode 3!

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Black Pepper and Cranberry Maple Glazed Pecans

  • 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • 2 Cups Raw Pecan Halves
  • 2-3 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries
  • 1/3 Cup Dried Apples
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Orange Zest
  • Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350°

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients except sea salt. Stir for about 5 minutes or until maple syrup reduces and clings to the nuts (no longer watery).

Remove from heat and pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a spoon or spatula, spread nuts out on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt to your taste.

Place baking sheet in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. You can break the nut clusters apart merely by breaking them with your hands, or by putting them in a ziploc bag and shaking them up.

Just like potato chips, don’t think you can stop at just one 😉

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Black Pepper and Cranberry Maple Glazed Pecans
 
Inspired by Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans, these spicy yet sweet black pepper and cranberry pecans are sure to satisfy
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • ¼ Cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • 2 Cups Raw Pecan Halves
  • 2-3 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • ⅓ Cup Dried Cranberries
  • ⅓ Cup Dried Apples
  • 1½ tsp. Orange Zest
  • Sea Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°
  2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients except sea salt. Stir for about 5 minutes or until maple syrup reduces and clings to the nuts (no longer watery).
  3. Remove from heat and pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a spoon or spatula, spread nuts out on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt to your taste.
  4. Place baking sheet in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. You can break the nut clusters apart merely by breaking them with your hands, or by putting them in a ziploc bag and shaking them up.

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6 Responses to “Black Pepper and Cranberry Maple Glazed Pecans”

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