So let’s talk appetizers. I’m that girl who you can usually find parked in front of the snack table at parties and get-togethers munching away while the football game is playing.
Chips, candy, you name it, it’s in my mouth. While I’m not too picky when it comes to finger food, there is one combination in particular that always makes my taste buds sing: sweet and salty.
There’s something about that bit of sugary goodness that punctuated with juuuuustt the right amount of sea salt that makes me crave the combo and keeps me coming back bite after bite. And the ultimate sweet and salty appetizer you may ask?
These Candied Sea Salt Pecans! Holy heck, my friends, are these good!
For me, nuts by themselves are addicting and I could eat my way through a huge bag of them with no problem at all. Throw some sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt on them, though, and I’m a total goner and you better believe I’ll be in my stretchy pants for the next few days.
It doesn’t help that I can easily toss all of the ingredients into one bowl and have a plate filled to the brim with goodness in under 30 minutes. Then, I can spend the rest of my Saturday night perched on the couch with my hand perpetually dipping into the pecan bowl with my best friend Netflix to keep me company. Winning!
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even though I’m a food blogger, my daily rotation of eats can get pretty repetitive and boring. For example, you can count on that 6 out of 7 days a week I have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.
The other day I was standing over the stove, whipping some diced bananas into my oats, when a revolutionary idea came to my mind. I schemed for a few minutes, did some intense calculus derivations, then came to this intricate formula:
oatmeal+candied pecans = yum.
BEST breakfast ever! From now on I’m going to keep a bag of these candied walnuts in the pantry 24/7. I thought my normal bowl of oats were good, but these completely amped up the flavor and texture profile and made my breakfast the best thing I ate the entire day.
I have big plans for these gems that include using them to top salads and ice cream, mixing them into baked goods, and creating the batch of the best trail mix the world has ever seen. The possibilities are endless!
Chances are you already have all these ingredients in your fridge and pantry. No pecans? No problem! Walnuts will work just fine as well. Do yourself (and stomach!) a favor and make a batch today.
If by some miracle these candied pecans make it more than 24 hours in your household, they can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Deliciousness all week long!
- 1 egg white
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ tbsp melted butter
- 8 oz pecans
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg whites, vanilla extract, and butter. Mix in the pecans until evenly coated.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the pecans and toss till the sugar mixture is evenly distributed.
- Place them in a single layer on a sheet of parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Let cool completely and dig in!