Sweet Spiced Pecans

These spiced nuts are an easy, low-effort, cocktail snack. Toast nuts, mix topping, combine, let cool. That’s it. Less than 10 minutes start to finish (perfect if you’re looking for something light to serve with holiday party drinks).

We've made one small adaptation to the original recipe by using Marash chiles instead of the cayenne pepper the book recommends, and we think the bright flavour and moderate heat of the Marash chiles is a perfect match to the rosemary, salt and brown sugar. If you don’t have Marash on hand, Aleppo chiles or Gochu Garu will also work fine.

Adapted from an original recipe in The Girl Can’t Cook by Cinda Chavich.

Ingredients:

1 cup pecan halves
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp ground dried rosemary
1 tsp Marash chiles
½ tsp fleur de sel

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the pecans (no oil). Toast for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts are fragrant and just starting to get a bit of colour. Watch carefully — nuts burn quickly.
2. Between stirs, combine the other five ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until everything is well combined. When the nuts are ready, add them to the bowl and toss to coat with the seasonings. Let the pecans cool.
3. These should keep for a day in an airtight container, provided they are not all consumed within minutes of preparation.