This is a simple recipe with many uses. Garam Masala is a blend of spices that are both sweet and savory. It’s one of my favorite flavor profiles and I buy it from Frontier Co-op. Their organic blend includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black pepper, and coriander. These sweet and savory spiced pecans are fantastic on salads. A winter Cobb with apples, squash, hard-boiled egg, bacon, red onion, and these pecans is delightful. The flavors pair beautifully with my Butternut, Cranberry, and Apple Casserole. On Thanksgiving, I roasted brussel sprouts and pearl onions in Nutiva Red Palm Oil and added these at the very end. The small detail of adding these pecans takes a recipe from good to outstanding. They are great to snack on and make a wonderful gift from your kitchen too. The best part is that they are done in 15 minutes or less.
Garam Masala Spiced Pecans
- 2 cups of pecan halves (I keep nuts in the freezer for freshness)
- 1.5 Tb ghee (if tolerated, I used Tin Star Brown Butter Ghee) or Nutiva Butter Flavored Coconut Oil
- 1.5 tsp Garam Masala spice blend
- 2-3 tsp organic coconut sugar or organic cane sugar (you can also leave it off completely)
- Pinch of real salt
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Once it’s hot, add the ghee or coconut oil and melt. If the cooking fat smokes, the pan is too hot. Turn down the burner and remove it from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Add the pecans. Move the pecans around in the pan to coat with the cooking fat and so all the nuts get a chance to be warmed. Keep them moving so none of the nuts burn. You will smell them when they are toasted. 3-4 minutes is plenty of time. Turn off the heat, but leave the skillet on the stove. Add the Garam Masala and the salt and stir to distribute the seasonings. Last, add the sugar and toss the pecans. The warm skillet will caramelize the sugar a bit and help the spices to adhere. Spread them out on a plate or some parchment paper to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.