Five Spice Candied Pecans

Five Spice Candied Pecans

Beep-beep! Special delivery for all those on Santa’s ‘nice’ list!

These salty-sweet pecans make great little stocking stuffers (or for stuffing into your purse when you’re marathon Christmas shopping and need a snack – guilty!). These start out on the stovetop for a quick toss in a brown sugar-spice mixture, and then they’re finished in the oven. Your kitchen will smell heavenly during this process, and the most difficult part is trying not to eat all of them before you get them packaged for gift giving.

Five Spice Candied Pecans

Five spice powder can usually be found at Asian markets or in the international section with the Asian foods at grocery stores. It’s most commonly a mix of the following 5 spices: star anise, cloves, cinnamon, sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. 

Much as I love these to give, they’re also pretty darn nice to have sitting on the coffee table. They’re a nice pick-me-up on a grey winter day. 

Five Spice Candied Pecans

My next batch will be tossed with a handful of candied orange peel. I think candied ginger would be right at home with these too. Enjoy!

Five Spice Candied Pecans

Heather Baird
Five spice powder gives candied pecans a whole new twist! So perfect for holiday gatherings but good enough to serve year-round.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
  • 2 cups pecan halves
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • In a medium saucepan, warm 4 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, 4 teaspoons water, 1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder; stir until sugar dissolves and mixture bubbles. Add 2 cups pecan halves; cook, stirring until pecans are thickly coated, about 3 minutes. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Bake 5-8 minutes,or until fragrant and crisp. Cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container, or place 1/2 cup portions in four cellophane bags and tie with festive ribbon.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Epicurious
Keyword brown sugar, five spice powder, pecan halves
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Rosa's Yummy Yums
Rosa's Yummy Yums
8 years ago

A great gift idea! I love candied pecans.

Cheers,

Rosa

Unknown
Unknown
8 years ago

Yum! These sound absolutely perfect for a holiday treat! 🙂

Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com

Colette (Coco)
Colette (Coco)
8 years ago

I love Chinese Five Spice. What a great seasoning for pecans. Love this idea.
And, you present everything so beautifully, Heather! I love your clip of the VW bus!

Roxana's Home Baking
Roxana's Home Baking
8 years ago

Such a great gift idea, and I love that these have Chinese Five Spice in them – that definitely sets them apart from all the other candied nut recipes out there. I definitely have to give this one a try! 🙂

La Table De Nana
La Table De Nana
8 years ago

Love the VW too:)
My friend Nancy had the real thing:)

EG
EG
8 years ago

This looks yummy! I think it will make an nice addition to my holiday baking.

Anonymous
Anonymous
8 years ago

This will work with a mix of nuts as well, right? 🙂 Pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts all together in one bag!

Cindy
Cindy
8 years ago

The nut mixture looks fabulous, but let's talk about the fun holiday scalloped box. What's the source for the box?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
8 years ago
Reply to  Cindy

They are from Wilton. You may be able to find them at craft stores, but Amazon also has them. Here's the link! They come with the plastic bags, too! http://amzn.to/1HLsGGd

Unknown
Unknown
8 years ago

Can I ask whereally the cute cardboard containerso are from?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
8 years ago
Reply to  Unknown

Wilton sent them to me last year when I was a brand ambassador. You can find them for purchase here: http://amzn.to/1HLsGGd

Anonymous
Anonymous
8 years ago

I love your new series on homemade gifts! I am doing an all-homemade theme this year for my gift giving and these are all such great ideas! I think I'll make these for my mom, where did you get those cute paper containers for holding the pecans?

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
8 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Thank you! Wilton sent them to me last Christmas. You may be able to find them locally at craft stores, since most carry Wilton cake decorating products, or you can order them online. Amazon carries them. http://amzn.to/1HLsGGd