Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Gingerbread Pecans

I wasn't quite ready to attempt a gluten free version of my aunt's gingerbread recipe, but I thought I might try making it into a glaze for nuts.  They're tasty and quick to make.


2 T salted butter
4 T sugar
2 T molasses
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground cloves
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t lemon extract
16 oz. pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 300F.  Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place the pecans in a medium-sized bowl.
Combine butter, sugar, molasses, dry spices and salt in a small saucepan.  Heat until the butter is melted, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the lemon extract. (It's OK if the alcohol in the extract boils off rapidly.  Just stir until the bubbling stops and the extract is mixed in.)   Pour the mixture over the pecans, and stir until they're evenly coated.
Spread the nuts out in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheet.  (Clumps of nuts will stick together.)  Bake 20 -25 minutes at 300.  Allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.