Maple Pecans

A three-ingredient candied maple pecans recipe made with ground cinnamon, raw pecan halves, and real maple syrup. The best maple cinnamon pecans for snacking, gifting, and baking!

Why Make These Maple Pecans?

This simple candied nuts recipe combines two of my favorite flavors: Maple and pecan.

Tossed in sweet maple syrup and just the right amount of ground cinnamon, then roasted in the oven until crunchy, fragrant, and golden brown, these maple pecans taste great year-round (I toss them into everything from salads to homemade chocolate bars) but make a particularly nice addition to the festive season. Serve them on an appetizer tray or pair with baked brie for a holiday open house, or package in pretty jars for gifting.

These maple pecans are also great for everyday, on-the-go snacking, especially at times you want something sweet but with a little bit of protein. (For a similar, snack-friendly recipe, you can also give my mixed spiced nuts recipe a try.) They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, and the roasting process will make your kitchen smell absolutely heavenly, too!

Maple Pecan Recipe Ingredients

This recipe requires just three ingredients. You’ll need:

• Pecans – About 125 grams (about 4 1/2 ounces, or 1 1/4 US cups) of raw pecan halves. Do not use already-roasted pecans, salted pecans, chopped pecans, or pecan pieces. Roasted pecans will burn, and the pieces are too small to properly absorb the maple cinnamon syrup mixture.
• Maple Syrup – Choose a real, good-quality maple syrup, not maple-flavored pancake syrup. (And save the rest to churn up some homemade maple walnut ice cream!)
• Ground Cinnamon – I like to buy my ground cinnamon in bulk. You’ll only need a teaspoon for this recipe, but it’s great for making everything from cinnamon ornaments to pumpkin dip to homemade mixed spice.

How to Enjoy Cinnamon Maple Pecans

I love making big batches of maple pecans to use throughout the festive season. For Christmas parties, they’re perfect for adding to a charcuterie or cheese board; or for serving alongside sugared cranberries and baked brie. And because these candied nuts will keep well for several weeks, you can also scoop some into a cello bag and tie with a pretty bow whenever you find yourself in need of a last-minute hostess gift.

The rest of the year, I enjoy using these in green salads (try pairing chopped maple pecans with goat cheese, arugula/rocket, and dried cranberries!) You can toss them with pretzels, raisins, chopped chocolate, dried fruit, seeds, or other nuts to create a custom trail mix; or chop and stir into homemade toffee, fudge, or chocolate bars.

These nuts are also great for garnishing and decorating cakes, brownies, cupcakes, cookies, and other desserts. To prevent burning, just be sure to add the nuts after baking, rather than before.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Maple pecans will keep for up to 1 month when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. For gifting, I suggest packaging your homemade pecans in a cello bag or a pretty glass jar.

Other seasonal snack and appetizer recipes you might enjoy:

Spiced Nuts
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Candied Ginger
Baked Brie
Apple Cider Caramels
Sugared Cranberries

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

Print