Spiced Cinnamon-Maple Pecans - Easy, Homemade Gift!

At the moment I'm packing (well, clearly I'm blogging while pretending to think about packing) to head back to New Orleans for the holidays! I will be there for a week and a half, and I can't wait to see family and friends I haven't seen in a while :)

As I was looking around for presents earlier this week, I noticed how incredibly how expensive "holiday foods" are! Why on earth would a small bag with barely a cup of spiced mixed nuts cost nearly twenty dollars? Spiced nuts are something you can easily make at home with little effort, so that's exactly what I did. I found a paleo-friendly recipe and gave it a try :)

First, buy pecans (or whatever type of nuts you'd rather use) from a bulk store like Sam's or Costco. If you don't have a membership, see if you someone wouldn't mind picking them up for you. You'll pay a fraction of the cost!

For this recipe, I suggest you gather all of your ingredients before getting started because the whole process doesn't take more than 10 minutes. You'll need pecans, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. 

Melt four tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat in a deep skillet. Once it has melted, add in 6 tablespoons of maple syrup, one teaspoon of vanilla, and a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Stir the ingredients well and wait for them to bubble. Once the ingredients begin to bubble, stir in the pecans. Stir continuously (so the pecans don't burn) for about five minutes. Make sure that they are well coated!

Remove the pan from heat and add in a mixture of six teaspoons of cinnamon, a half teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of pepper. There's a lot of cinnamon in this recipe, so be sure to mix VERY well!

Then spread pecans out on wax paper or a baking sheet to cool. Leave them for about an hour if  packaging for presents. If you are going to serve them, they should be ready in about thirty minutes!

Here's a more compact recipe:

SPICED CINNAMON-MAPLE PECANS

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pecan halves
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons grade A organic maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions:

• Melt coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
• Add in vanilla, maple syrup, and cayenne. Mix well.
• When mixture begins to bubble, add pecans and stir well.
• Cook pecans for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Be sure all pecans are well coated. 
• Remove pecans from heat and stir in cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Be sure the cinnamon is evenly distributed!
• Spread out pecans on a baking sheet or wax paper to cool. 
• Serve after thirty minutes, or package after an hour. Enjoy!

Question: What is a quick and easy holiday treat you love? I'm also a fan of  the fudge my mother-in-law makes. It's not paleo, but when fudge is that good, who cares?   :)

Happy Holidays!