On the fifth consecutive day of rain and darkness looming over the east half of North America (S.Ontario included), I’d like to share a nut mix that may have the power to brighten your day. I don’t think I have ever walked out of the bulk food store without a tiny baggie of candied nuts. Those things are horrendous if you read the ingredients, but I buy like 6 nuts, for a little treat on the way home, and I sometimes manage to save a few for my husband. OK, once I managed to save a few for my husband. He’s a lucky guy.
For some much-needed excitement this week, I was very lucky to get a sneak preview and a few recipes to test from Divya Yadava’s upcoming magazine. I don’t want to reveal too much, but from what I have seen and tasted, you guys do not want to miss this fall/winter issue! That is all I will say for now, but check back next week for a link and more on the magazine. One of the recipes involved maple glazed pecans. As soon as I tasted the pecans, I knew that it was the end of bulk store nut candy. Forever. They also triggered a memory of this Sahale nut mix that I had and loved a while ago. This mix is not as evil as bulk store nut candy, from an ingredient perspective, but the only place I ever found it was at Whole Foods, and it was kind of expensive. I tried recreating it at home once, but the pecans came out soggy, and that was the end of that. Maple glazed pecans, as I found out this week, are the complete opposite of soggy. Maple syrup is magical like that. So… thanks to Divya’s nut roasting genius and the delicious Sahale nut mix, I present to you today’s recipe.
- 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- more salt, pepper, and fresh orange zest, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- Combine the maple syrup, orange zest, salt, pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
- Add the maple mixture to the pecans and coat them well.
- Arrange the pecans on the baking tray without crowding.
- Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, then remove them from the oven and cool.
- Combine the pecans with dried cranberries and add more salt, pepper, and orange zest, to taste.
These look really good! Can’t wait to use up the last bag of pecans sitting on my counter.
By the way, talking about nut candy reminded me of Nutorious snacks. Have you ever tried them before? I got them from Bulk Barn and they are amazing. I think they have egg whites in the coating instead of maple syrup. I want to try making those at home at some point too!
Interesting…haven’t seen those. Are they packaged? or in the bulk bins? I have some egg whites in my fridge from the pudding…might give that a try too :)
I can’t believe I found this recipe!! Seen it on Foodgawker, and I remembered Sahale snacks.
I love Sahale snacks, but here in Europe, I only can find them in gourmet stores, and they’re really expensive!
It wasn’t hard to imagine that they’re not complicated to do, but never thought about it, so you don’t know how happy and grateful I am to find this recipe ;)
This weekend I’ll give it a try! Perhaps then, I can also ‘copy’ at home some other varieties I love ;)
Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
I’m with you on copying other varieties, got some on my list :)
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve had the problem you mentioned, where the nuts get soggy. This flavor combo sounds delicious too! Thanks :)
I live in Seattle, where Sahale is based, so I can’t walk into Walgreens (let alone Whole Foods) without those delicious pecans smacking me in the face. This recipe looks like a dead-ringer… can’t wait to try!
haha, so you’ll be a tough critic when comparing them to the real deal :) Let me know how they turn out and if anything could be improved!