Spiced Pecans… a family favorite

My mother, Joyce McDonald, made these every year at the holidays and now I do too… it’s become a family ritual of sorts. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar 1 lb. whole pecans
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients, except pecans, in a pot and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and mixture reaches soft ball* stage.

Turn off heat. Gently stir in pecans and coat well. Immediately pour out onto large pieces of foil or a buttered cookie sheet. Use a fork to separate the nuts so they are in one layer before they cool and and the coating hardens.

*Soft ball stage can be determined by dropping a bit of the hot sugar syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball.