Pecan Recipes for the Perfect Christmas Gift

If you have been reading my articles closely, you already know my fondness for pecans. So it is time to devote an article about ways to gift them. Pecans can be purchased relatively inexpensively in bulk, or sometimes I have found super-inexpensive bags of them at the grocery stores that sell you bags, rather than bag your items. There are several wonderful pecan recipes that are quick and take few ingredients.

One of them is the Hot Pepper Pecan:

Melt 2/3 C of butter in a large saucepan and add ¼ C of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp of each seasoning salt, onion salt, and chili powder, 3 tsp of garlic salt and ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper. Add 6 cups of pecans. Use the pecans halves for this since they look nicer. Swirl the pecans around in the mixture for about 5 minutes at medium low heat. Remove from the heat and spread the mixture on a baking sheet.

Put the nuts in an oven set at 325 for 15-20 minute, stirring them on the baking sheet after 10 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, sprinkle on about 1 tsp of course salt. Let them cool and you are ready to give them away.

If you love that candy that is wonderful hard toffee, pecans and chocolate, you will adore this recipe.

Toffee A'La Pecans
Before you start grate an 8 oz. bar of milk chocolate and chop up fine 1 ½ C of pecans.

Melt 1 lb of butter in a large saucepan, over a medium flame. Slowly add 2 C of granulated sugar, making certain that you stir while it dissolves. Add 2 Tbsp of White Karo Syrup and 6 Tbsp of water. Make certain you have a candy thermometer ready because you will be heating the mixture until it hits the temperature of 290 degrees.

If you don't have a thermometer, drop a bit into water and if you can get it to a soft crack stage, the sauce will thread but is not real brittle. I have always had a hard time knowing the proper time to remove it, so I find that my handy-dandy-candy thermometer is a blessing.

Divide the mixture by pouring it onto 2 large greased (Butter gives the best flavor when greasing the sheets or pans.) pans or cookie sheets and spreading it out so that it is ¼ inch thick.

Sprinkle the hot toffee with the chocolate and spread it around as it melts. Top the chocolate with the pecans, covering it thoroughly.

Allow the mixture to cool and then put it in the refrigerator to set firm. Crack it into bite size pieces for gifts.

Smoked Pecans:

Set your oven at 300 degrees. Beat the white of 2 eggs until foamy. Add 4 tsp of garlic powder, 3-½ tsp of celery salt, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of liquid smoke. Blend together well and add 6 cups of pecan halves. Coat the halves evenly and lay on a large cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake the nuts for 20-30 minutes, stirring them every ten minutes.

Remove the nuts and lay on foil to cool.

Use these three recipes to make wonderful gift tins.

You can use those old cookie tins that you've been saving. If the outside isn't to your liking coat it with gesso and paint with acrylics. When it is dry, spray 2 layers of varnish on.

Make dividers for the tin out of poster board. Cut the poster board to the size of the tin. Cut a section from the top of one board, in the middle and up to the mid section, and the bottom of another in the same manner. Fit them together to section off the tin.