- 4 cups pecan halves
- 2 teaspoons grape seed or peanut oil
- 5 tablespoons firmly packed turbinado sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Spread the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a large plate.
Heat a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil and nuts and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle with the sugar, salt, cinnamon, cumin, allspice and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts over the nuts and caramelizes, about 2 minutes. (if the nuts start to burn, reduce the heat slightly.) Return the nuts to the rimmed baking sheet, spreading them evenly, and let cool.