Hi all! Wow, what a fall. I've been, quite simply, exhausted. Now that my finals are over I have a little more room to breathe, thankfully.

Over the weekend I got to a little of the holiday prep I've been dreaming of... in this case, I made some lovely jars of pecans to give as gifts. This was the first time I made these-- I cobbled together some recipes I found online with my own ideas, and they came out great. Be careful, they are kind of addictive.

Candied and Spiced Pecans

Ingredients

4 cups raw pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 t salt
1 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t ground aleppo pepper
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
ground chipotle pepper, to taste (I used about 1/4 t in deference to those who don't like spicy, like Otis's grandmother)

Preparation

1. Mix the nuts, maple syrup, and brown sugar together in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat on the stove. Stir constantly as the sugars melt and cover the nuts.

2. After about two minutes, add the spices, stirring constantly.

3. Continue stirring over medium high heat for about 6 minutes.

4. Spread onto prepared sheets of wax or parchment paper and let cool completely before placing in bags or jars.