Need a Last Minute Gift?
7 days until Christmas and these are the answer!
When I married my husband, Jimmy, I married into his family’s holiday pecan tradition (win-win!). He grew up making these with his mom and nana a few weeks before Christmas. Every year, they made cases and cases of them, placing them in Mason jars and gifting them for the holidays. Friends, family, neighbors, teachers, doctors, even postal workers look forward to these all year round. And the best part — they couldn’t be easier!
We’ve hosted this sweet day at our home the last few years, and since we have 2 ovens (we seriously considered pecan day in our renovation plans!) we get the 24 pounds (!!) done in under 7 hours (down from the 14 of yesteryear!). A big pecan factory filled day with Christmas music, hustle, great smells, bustle and a little chaos now that the babes are around. We love that our kids will say they grew up making Nana’s Pecans with their family too🥺.
Jimmy’s Fam’s Holiday Pecans
Yields ~ 8 cups
Ingredients:
1 egg white from a large egg
1 pound pecans
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a large mixing bowl, briskly whisk egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, until it just begins to foam. Add pecans and toss with a spatula to make sure the pecans are evenly coated with the egg white.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine salt, cinnamon and sugar then add sugar mixture to the pecans. Mix very well until pecans are evenly coated.
Cover a large baking sheet with foil. Pour the pecans on the foil and spread them out evenly. Place in the oven and cook for 12-13 minutes. Turn and/or move the baking sheet to another rack in the oven to ensure the nuts cook evenly and bake another 10-11 minutes or until the pecans smell very fragrant (but not burnt!). Remove from the oven, hold on to the sides of the foil and immediately flip the pecans onto a sheet of parchment paper. (It’s very important to do as soon as they come out of the oven otherwise they’ll stick to the foil and it’s a mess!).
Let them sit until cool to the touch. Place them in decorative mason jars or bags to give as gifts, add them to salads or eat them by the fistful.
These make a great last minute gift that keeps everybody talking the other 364 days of the year. Go run to the grocery store, grab some craft bags, I know you have some red, green or gold ribbon in the basement and get to it! The teachers will love having your kid in class a little extra in 2025!
Let me know if you share these simple, sweet and salty treats with your loved ones.
Thanks for joining our family’s sweet tradition this week!
Love Always,
Jeanette (+ family)
Can’t wait to try this recipe out!!