Sweet And Spicy Candied Pecans - With A Kick - cooking recipe

Ingredients

vegetable oil cooking spray
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon generous fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces (or halves)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325\u00b0F Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine corn syrup and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pecans; stir gently to coat. Transfer to baking sheet.
Place large piece of foil on work surface. Bake pecans 5 minutes. Using fork, stir pecans to coat with melted spice mixture. Continue baking until pecans are golden and coating bubbles, about 10 minutes. Transfer to foil. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork. Cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead- store airtight at room temperature).
Makes 1 1/2 cups.
NOTE: Recipe is easily doubled, freezes well in ziplock bags.
Serve as a snack, topping for appetizers or salads (see my Waldorf Salad recipe #117914) or candied sweet potatoes, -or- give as a gift for the holidays.