November marks the beginning of a season of entertaining. For a tasty but simple bite to get things started, serve up a batch of roasted, toasted crunchy pecans tossed in a buttery, slightly salty sauce with a subtle touch of heat and an unexpected piquant note.
There was seldom a cocktail or bridge party hosted by my Mom that didn’t include small bowls of nuts scattered among the guests. They’re the perfect snack for nibbling alongside any beverage. And though you can easily buy a can of roasted and salted nuts, creating your own is really quite simple and wonderful.
We have a variety of recipes for roasted nuts and most have a sweeter profile. This savory recipe is from Mom’s collection, dating back to the 1960s. Start with a pound of pecan halves and toss them in a mixture of butter, kosher salt, a little sugar, freshly cracked black pepper plus both garlic and onion powder.
Cayenne pepper and paprika along with Tabasco deliver a level of spice and a wonderful depth of flavor comes compliments of Worcestershire sauce.
The pecans are roasted until golden and crisp then sprinkled with an extra pinch of kosher salt and sugar.
Savory, lightly spicy with just a subtle touch of sweet, these roasted pecans will elevate your snacking game. Ideal paired with ice cold cocktails or warm apple cider!
Savory Roasted Cocktail Pecans
4 tablespoons melted butter
2-¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
4 teaspoons sugar, divided
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound pecan halves
Preheat oven to 300-degrees. Combine the melted butter with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt, 3 teaspoons of the sugar, black pepper, both the onion and garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk to blend together.
Toss the pecan halves into a large bowl, pour the butter and spice mixture over the nuts. Stir to coat well. Spread the pecans in a small baking dish, about 12” x 8” and roast in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the pecans are lightly crisp, stirring every 10 minutes. (Pecans will continue to crisp a bit as they cool.)
Remove the pecans from the oven and turn them out onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and the 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Keep the pecans stored in a sealed container or in the freezer. Makes one pound of roasted pecans, about 4 cups.
Savory Roasted Cocktail Pecans
Equipment
- Small baking dish
- Rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2-¼ teaspoons teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 4 teaspoons sugar divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 dashes Tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound pecan halves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300-degrees.
- Combine the melted butter with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt, 3 teaspoons of the sugar, black pepper, both the onion and garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk to blend together.
- Toss the pecan halves into a large bowl, pour the butter and spice mixture over the nuts. Stir to coat well.
- Spread the pecans in a small baking dish, about 12” x 8” and roast in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the pecans are lightly crisp, stirring every 10 minutes. (Pecans will continue to crisp a bit as they cool.)
- Remove the pecans from the oven and turn them out onto a pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and the 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Keep the pecans stored in a sealed container or in the freezer.
