Candied Pecans

I didn't follow any single recipe when I made these candied pecans this morning, still cooling off on the stove as shown in my photo, but picked common ingredients from several recipes and prepared them on the stove with a non-stick frying pan.

I bought a 10oz package of pecan halves at wallyworld, along with salted butter and sugar, and already had vanilla extract, light brown sugar, and cinnamon at home in the pantry. I was going to add a small amount of cayenne pepper to spice it up just a tad, but couldn't find any smaller shakers at the store, only larger pricey ones, that I would never use up, so I left that out.

Ingredients:

10oz pecan halves
2 tbsp salted butter
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 tbsp cinnamon
1/8 tbsp vanilla

Directions: Using a non-stick frying pan, I add the butter and put the heat on medium-low.  Stoves vary (gas/electric/campfire/propane) so just keep the heat down to avoid burning.  As the butter is melting I add in each of the other ingredients except the pecans, making sure everything else is melted and mixed with a spatula, then adding in the pecans last.   I stir the pecans around to get them all covered, letting things sit for a minute, then stir some, sit for a minute, then stir, doing that for between 5 and 10 minutes.

The key is not to let the candied pecans burn, so once they've been heated up to your liking, the aroma will let you know, turn off the stove and move the pan to the back to let them cool off for a couple of hours or more, until they're no longer wet/sticky, and you can break them apart if they're clumped together.  You can package them for gifts, using small glass jars with knot work would be nice, or eat them right on the spot.  I don't know how long they can be stored after you make them, but they'll most likely be eaten before that would ever be a problem, lol...

After you turn off the heat, you could also spread the candied pecans out on parchment paper to let them cool, allowing you to continue making additional batches if needed. Just making a single batch can be expensive, costing more than some of the canned/jarred candied/honey pecan varieties, which probably contain a number of extra preservative ingredients and whatnot, so making your own is nice, knowing exactly what you're eating.

I went light on the ingredients, especially the sugar, being a diabetic, so if you want the candied pecans to be sweeter and have a thicker 'crust' on them, some folks use larger amounts of the sugar and sometimes add in an egg white to the mix.  This is one of those recipes that can be made different ways with a variety of ingredients and different quantities of each for a personalized taste.

I also found another 'NEW!' Campbell's Chunky soup to try, Wicked Thai-Style Chicken with Rice & Vegetables.  Sounds good, will have to see how it tastes...

And after trying the soup, I'd say it was okay, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it again, just keeping it in mind for an alternative to the regular chicken with rice and vegetable soup options.