Pumpkin Spiced Pecans
Enjoy this previously published Zola classic...
Many of you already know I am Irish. My “23 and Me Report” says I’m 92.6 percent Irish. Now, THAT is a LOT of Irish.
As an adult my favorite holiday became Halloween. My husband and I used to have huge Halloween parties. There’d be 70 to 100 people in attendance. We’d have a DJ and dance all night long. During the evening I served up a 13-course meal. (Get it? 13...bad luck number).
There’d be probably six or seven courses of appetizers to choose from that we served in the bar. The main course would be served at midnight and then there were dessert options waiting on the buffet.
We had a blast.
Everyone came in costume and as the years passed the guests got more and more creative. We even had a contest for the best costumes.
For decorating we went all out. The whole house was decorated, and no two years looked alike. I went nuts creating some of the most elaborate carved pumpkins you could imagine. It took me a couple of days, all evening long, to get them just right.
So, what does being of Irish descent have to do with Halloween?
I just read this piece today.
From the fine folks at the History Channel comes the history of the Jack O’Lantern. I had no idea the origin of carving vegetables with creepy faces is an Irish thing.
Here’s the story...
Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com
Pumpkin Spiced Pecans
Servings: Makes 6 cups
Ingredients:
1 large egg white
½ cup of brown sugar substitute (Swerve makes one that you can find in most large grocery stores now. You can also order it online)
2 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of grated sea salt (or to taste)
½ tsp of pumpkin pie spice (or to taste)
6 cups of pecan halves
A light dusting of cayenne (Optional. See note below)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Put the egg white in a large bowl. Whisk until it gets foamy.
Add the brown sugar substitute, the vanilla, grated sea salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until well incorporated.
Add the pecans. Stir again until they are all coated and gooey.
Take out a large, rimmed cookie sheet. Cover the surface with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with oil. Olive oil or butter-flavored oil will work.
Spread the pecans across the cookie sheet. Don’t let them stay bunched up or they won’t cook correctly.
Bake 30 minutes and then stir them. Bake 15 to 30 minutes more until you begin to see some of the pecans are getting brown edges.
Cool completely. If you try to eat them too early you can really burn your tongue.
Store in an air-tight container for up to five days, but if your crowd is like mine, they won’t last that long.
Optional: *My husband loves everything with some zing to it. I set aside a small batch of these for him and very lightly sprinkle them with cayenne before they cool off. He loves them. You get the sweet/hot mix this way.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola
