Orange Glazed Pecans

It's essential to keep a watchful eye on the nuts when either glazing them or making candied nuts as they go from normal to burnt very quickly. When I am making candied nuts, I use only white sugar, which when heated in a saute pan on medium heat, will melt to a caramel color. Once that occures, add your nuts, remove the pan from the heat and coat them all over. Promptly turn them out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and allow them to cool. Once cool enough to touch, you can break them apart.

When glazing nuts, the process is slight different as it involves different ingredients.

Begin by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium saute pan over medium-low heat, melt 4 tsp of unsalted butter. Add 2 tsp of orange zest and 2 Tbsp of orange juice. Add 1/4 cup of light brown sugar and mix well. Add 2 cups of pecan halves and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until the pecans are toasted (about 10-12 minutes.) Remove from the head and spread on the baking sheet and allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.