Healthy Sugar-Free Candied Pecans

AllRootsWellness Healthy Sugar Free Candied Pecans.jpg

My midwest may be showing here but… remember those candied nuts from the local fair? They also had them at the mall. Wherever they were, I always bought them. (Or rather… my parents bought them for me until I was a teenager and making my own money.) I think I ate them so often that they’re actually engrained in my DNA. So much so… that on a recent trip to Cabela’s (not my shopping trip but I’m always going to peruse the snack aisle there) I bought them.

And guess what? They were incredible. But since I ate them… I’ve been craving them again. So I thought about doing my favorite thing to junk food & “healthified it”. I realized it could be done with - Monk Fruit!

Yep, Monk Fruit. If you’ve never used it before, it sounds weird, I know. I even got laughed at while bringing it up in a casual conversation [while talking about how I made my whipped coffee].

But - hear me out.

Monk Fruit gives the same sweetness of sugar - without all of the sugar. It’s natural. It doesn’t give you any of those weird aftertastes or side effects like some artificial sweeteners do. Oh, and not that we’re counting - but it also has ZERO calories.

Sounds like a win to me.

Because no one likes reading a novel when they’re just trying to find a recipe… I’ll stop myself here.

Oh, and one more thing. Did I mention it only takes 5 minutes from start to finish?

Healthy Sugar-Free Candied Pecans

Healthy Sugar Free Candied Pecans.jpg

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Heat pan over medium heat. Add in pecans and toast for ~2 minutes (or 30 seconds if you tend to be impatient like I am).

  2. Add in monk fruit sweetener. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes, or until the monk fruit begins to break down and form a candy coating on the outside of the pecans.

  3. Add in a few dashes of cinnamon & sea salt. Stir to combine.

  4. Carefully pour on a sheet [covered with parchment paper for easy clean-up]. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!

I highly recommend enjoying these while they’re warm for that county fair nostalgia - or, store in an air-tight container to enjoy later (or to keep away from your roommates/partner/family… no judgment here).

Forewarning: don’t be too impatient and lick the spatula. You’ll burn your tongue like I did.

Store time: I can’t tell you how long these last because they haven't lasted more than 2 days in my home. I have a feeling they won’t last that long in yours either. 😉

If you’re interested in reading more about what monk fruit is & the benefits of monk fruit, this evidence-based article from Healthline provides more information.