Holiday Tradition

PEPPY PECANS
by Denise Shaw

I've been making savory, spiced pecans for my husband every holiday season for at least 25 years, but it is only this year that I have finally settled on a recipe that I can call my own, one with which I am 100% happy.

Ingredients:

• 1 Stick unsalted butter (8 T)
• 4 teaspoons salt*
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (fresh cracked is best)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon**
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, gently rounded***
• 4-6 cups FRESH pecan halves

* Variations of salt combinations are optional. For example: 2 teaspoons of celery salt plus 2 teaspoons of seasoned salt. Pink Himalayan salt will absolutely work in this recipe, too! As long as it's considered some sort of salt, it should work depending upon the pantry and the chef.
** Cinnamon is the new 'secret' ingredient here. Cinnamon is not usually thought of as an add-in to a savory dish, yet WHAT a difference it makes in this recipe!
*** Cayenne can be adjusted to taste. If HOT is preferred, go ahead and bump it up to as much as 1/2 teaspoon. If only a touch of heat is the goal, the amount of cayenne pepper can be reduced to 1/8 teaspoon. If HOT is NOT an option, it can be omitted entirely.

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
• In a roasting pan, combine butter and seasonings. 
• Heat in the oven until the butter is melted
• To the roasting pan add the pecans, mixing well to coat every nut
• Roast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes
• Stir once more and then turn off the oven
• Let it roast another 10 minutes. We like our pecans crisp. The fresher the pecans the more important this step becomes. 
• Stir once more before draining on paper towels
• Once cool, store in an airtight container... as long as they last, which won't be for long.

A big shout out to The Pecan Shed out of Wichita Falls, Texas, our source this year for gorgeous FRESH pecans. That 4 pound bag will be gone before the winter fades. Thank you!

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