Pecan Munchie by Jane

                                                               photo by Barbara

Hi Barbara,
Here is a simple but great munchie for book club, bunco, bridge etc.
             ----Jane

Sweet and Spicy Pecans
½ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch Cayenne
1 egg white
2 cups pecan halves

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mix sugar and spices together in a small bowl. Beat the egg white in a larger bowl; toss pecans and stir to coat. Sprinkle with the spice mixture and coat pecans evenly. Lift the pecans out of the bowl and transfer to the baking sheet.

Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Keep in a dry place and they should keep fresh for 5 days.

Note from Barbara:  I made a cocoa version, too, after I made Jane's for the photo for her blog entry.  I am intriqued by the egg white as the vehicle to get the ingredients to stick to the nuts.  My cocoa version tasted like the crunchy part of a pecan pie, but not as sweet and not as fattening.  I think the egg white must add the crunch.  But I am not a food scientist---

Here's my cocoa version:

Cocoa Pecan Munchie

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 cups whole pecans
2 egg whites
sea salt for sprinkling on the top

Heat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients --- stir well.  In another bowl, place the two egg whites.  Set up an assembly line.  Coat nuts in egg white then roll in cocoa powder mixture, then place on aluminum foil, in one layer, without overlapping nuts.  Sprinkle sea salt on top.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes. 

I got the idea for putting the sea salt on top over the weekend.  Sarah served us one her favorite treats, a dark chocolate bar with sea salt. 

Messy but fun to make!!   I had too much cocoa powder and egg white left over, so you could  "manufacture" more pecans or just cut back on the proportions.  Also, this recipe might work with Splenda or part Splenda, part sugar. 

This is not an overly sweet treat.  It's more of a salty treat.

Thanks again to Jane for sending in her recipe.  I like serving nuts as a snack with cocktails.  We always put out a bowl of cashews when we entertain.  Now I will have something new to offer.