Holiday Spiced Pecans with Bacon Fat

These sweet, lightly spicy pecans get a savory finish from a drizzle of bacon fat. Save your bacon drippings for them and pack a few jars as holiday gifts.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg white, beaten until foamy
• 1 tablespoon water
• 4 tablespoons bacon fat, melted

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt, cayenne and cinnamon.
3. In a medium bowl, stir the foamy egg white together with the water. Add the pecans and toss until coated.
4. Tip the pecans into the spiced sugar and toss until they're coated as evenly as you can manage. Spread them out on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until toasted and crisp.
6. As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, pour the melted bacon fat over the nuts in a thin stream, giving the tops a light, even coat.
7. Let the nuts cool completely, break up any clusters and let them dry fully before packing them into jars.

Tips

• Stored airtight, they keep for a few weeks.

Adapted from a recipe by Meredith Leigh.