Jimmy’s Holiday Pecans

“When I married my husband, Jimmy, I also married his family’s pecan recipe (win-win!). He grew up making these with his Mom and Nana a few weeks before Christmas. Every year, they make cases and cases of them, place them in Mason jars and gift them to friends and family. People look forward to these all year round and they couldn’t be easier! They are simple, thoughtful and absolutely delicious as a sweet-and-salty treat, chopped up on salads or just eaten by the Mason jar-ful!– Jeanette

Ingredients

• 1 egg white from a large egg
• 1 pound pecans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg white with a very small splash of water (We stick the bowl under the faucet and turn the water on and immediately off—if I had to guess, it’s about 1-2 tablespoons), until it just begins to foam. Add pecans and toss with a spatula to make sure the pecans are evenly coated with the egg white.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine salt, cinnamon and sugar then add sugar mixture to the pecans. Mix very well until pecans are evenly coated.

Cover a large baking sheet with foil. Pour the pecans on the foil and spread them out evenly. Place in the oven and cook for 12-13 minutes. Turn and/or move the baking sheet to another rack in the oven to ensure the nuts cook evenly and bake another 10-11 minutes or until the pecans smell very fragrant (but not burnt!). Remove from the oven, hold on to the sides of the foil and immediately flip the pecans onto a sheet of parchment paper. (It’s very important to do as soon as they come out of the oven otherwise they’ll stick to the foil and it’s a mess!).

Let them sit until cool to the touch then place them in decorative mason jars or bags to give as gifts.