Christmas Post II - Maple Pecans

Happy New Year!

This holiday isn't something I really celebrate but it's a new year anyhow.
But I'm still on my posts for Christmas. Heh. The problem with baking for friends and family if that you don't wanna post all the gifts until they've been given! Haha.

Anyway, this one was part cookbook & part Pinterest (which is my new obsession). Pinterest is splendid! There are so many ideas on that site and it's fun to repin things that worked. So I've added a Pin-it tab on all my posts.
Pinterest in Singapore seems to be a bit slow. But I'm not surprised really. There's Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and many more sites to share ideas.

I got the recipe from Best Bakesale Cookbook and the packaging idea from Pinterest.

I searched for Styrofoam cups with lids but could find none. Lots of cups, no lids. I ended up getting paper cups from Phoon Huat and packaging them in clear plastic bags from SKP. It was at SKP that I found the cups with lids! A bit late by then since I'd already decorated about 60 cups. They looked cute anyway with the bows but the cups with the lids would have been a little less tedious and easier to pack. Just an idea.

I didn't use felt like most posts suggest but used a permanent black marker for the mouth & eyes and stuck on a cut out piece of orange paper. I experimented with one cup with rosy cheeks but it didn't seem to work so I scrapped that idea.

Okay! Enough of the crafts...here're the absolutely delightful Pecans!

INGREDIENTS (approx. 4 cups)

• 1 egg white (I used meringue powder and it worked)
• 4 cups of pecans toasted to a crunch in a 170-oven for about 15mins)
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup (I used maple flavoured syrup which worked too!)
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
•  1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

METHOD

1. Whisk the egg white in a clean bowl until frothy
2. In a separate bowl toss the pecans in the remaining ingredients until well coated
3. Spoon the egg white into the pecans and toss again
4. Transfer pecans to a parchment lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer
5. Bake in a 100 degree C oven for about 30 minutes
6. Remove from oven, loosen from parchment sheet and leave to cool before packing

It was so easy to make and everyone loved it! So did I. I found that the crunchier the pecans, the nicer. They kinda lose their bitter taste when they're toasted properly. They should go a dark brown but not black! (:

Cheers!

Amy.