On Dec 21, 9:51*pm, "gloria.p" > wrote:
> I have a nearly lifetime supply of pecans in the garage freezer
> and remembered that at least some of them might be (ahem) a
> trifle mature, shall we say. * I opened a bag tonight that had an
> expiration date of (cough, cough). *They still tasted good, no
> sign of rancidity. *SInce I have done virtually no baking for
> Christmas, I made the following which turned out fairly
> delicious. *If you keep the ingredients proportional, you can
> start with whatever amount of nuts you have on hand.
>
> This is what I had:
>
> Spiced Pecans * * * * * Preheat oven to 350d F
>
> 8 cups pecans
> 2 egg whites beaten with 2 Tbsp water
> 1 1/2 c. white sugar
> 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
> 1/2 tsp cloves
> 1/2 tsp nutmeg
> 1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne
>
> Place pecans in a large bowl. *Pour the egg whites over them and
> mix well. *In a bowl mix sugar and spices, pour over nut-eggs
> and stir well, lifting and turning with two spoons until
> everything is coated. *Line one or two sheet pans with foil,
> butter or spray lightly with Pam. *Pour nuts into pans, spreading
> thinly. *It really doesn't matter if they stick together but
> shouldn't be piled thickly.
>
> Place in oven, bake for ~30 minutes or until the nut covering
> looks dry, stirring once or twice. *If they begin to brown too
> quickly turn the heat down to 300.
>
> Slip foil onto cooling rack and cool to room temperature. *Store
> in an airtight container. *Don't eat too many at one time. ;-)
>
> Merry Christmas
>
> gloria p

Here's my recipe for "Spiced Nuts Glace" - I give them as gifts, as I
can't eat tree nuts myself. Everyone seems to like them.

Spiced Nuts Glace


3 cups unsalted mixed nuts (about 1 pound)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. butter


Spread nuts in shallow pan and heat 10 minutes at 350 deg. F. Butter
the sides of a saucepan generously, and combine sugars, salt, spices,
corn syrup and water in it. Heat, stirring constantly, over low heat
until sugars dissolve; then cook, without stirring, to 300 deg. F. on
candy thermometer. Stir in nuts and butter until nuts are evenly
coated. Spread evenly in 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan which has
been
well-buttered. Cool completely. Break into bite-size pieces. Store in
tightly covered container.


Notes: I keep meaning to add some baking soda at the end of the
cooking stage - like one does for peanut brittle - to see if I can
get
it a little less dangerous to bite into - but haven't tried it yet.
It
seems to be real popular the way it is.


N.