Candied Pecans
Toasted pecans in butter and sugar, made at home and carried as a snack.
- calories
- 270
- weight
- 1.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 180
- protein
- 3 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Dessert
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Unsalted pecan halves | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | 1 tbsp | |
| Granulated sugar | 1/3 cup | |
| Salt | a pinch | optional, goes in with the butter |
Method
- At home: heat the oven to 350. Spread the pecans in one layer on a sheet pan and toast 5 minutes.
- Melt the butter and pour it into a heat-proof bowl while the nuts toast.
- Tip the hot pecans into the butter and stir until every half is coated. Add the salt here if you want it.
- Add the sugar and keep stirring. The residual heat pulls it onto the nuts.
- Spread them back on the pan and leave them alone until cold, then break apart any clumps.
- On the trail: open the bag.
This is home-prep work, not camp work. The oven does the toasting and the hot nuts do the coating, so there is nothing to cook once you are out. Timing is the whole trick: the pecans have to come out of the oven straight into the butter, and the sugar has to go on while they are still hot enough to hold it. Let them cool first and the sugar just falls off in the bag.
The butter is the shelf-life limit. Fat this exposed goes rancid, so plan on two weeks and keep the bag out of a hot pack lid or a car dash. In real heat, leave these home and carry plain nuts instead.
Packing
Cool completely before bagging or the steam softens them. A freezer bag holds a full batch; split into day portions if you ration badly.
Variations
- A pinch of cayenne or chipotle with the sugar cuts the sweetness.
- Walnut halves behave the same way and cost less.
- Maple sugar in place of granulated, if you have it.
https://trailcooking.com/snacks/candied-pecans