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Last updated on March 7th, 2019

Healthy Candied Pecans – Gluten Free & Vegan

Quick and easy dessert type snacks are kind of my thing (umm peppermint patty bars anyone?!). though I do tend to make these dessert like snacks include some sort of chocolate 😉 Until now! These healthy homemade pecans are probably the simplest dessert recipe to whip up and they are far too easy to munch on.

So a secret fact about me.. I eat a lot of nuts. Like a lot a lot. This normally isn’t an issue but every so often I notice it getting out of control and have to scale back.

The issue is that nuts – all of them- are just so good! Seriously between raw nuts, nut butters and other health fats like avocados and coconut I’ve learned I can consume a lot of calories!

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Thank god they’re all healthy fats and my body loves them.

And I love these healthy candied pecans!

Pecans always remind me of Christmas time but truthfully, this candied version works for just about any time of year.

A few fun facts about pecans and why I love them so much…

Pecan are high in calcium (just like almonds!). yet another reason why cow’s milk doesn’t have to be the basis of our calcium intake (check this blog post out on some dairy free tips).

They also contains a good amount of magnesium, zinc and selenium. Actually, pecans are a super source of vitamins!

As I mentioned, they also contains some awesome healthy fats. Not only does this make them nutritious but insanely tasty and addictive too 😉

These healthy candied pecans are a delicious dessert and most importantly, they’re not coasted in white processed sugar!

While I’ve always loved candied pecans, I tend to dislike the covered in pure sugar aspect. I understand that this is a requirement to “candied” but with the amount of pecans I can put away it only serves to hurt my tummy.

Instead, these pecans are glazed with my favorite sweetener- maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon for flavor.

With only four ingredients these homemade candied pecans are pretty simple to throw together. They only take a few minutes in the oven also so if you forgot to make a dessert for a party this is an awesome option!

The only downside is that they’re seriously addictive. I actually had to portion them out and put them downstairs because I was munching on them every single time I walked into the kitchen.

While they are healthy candied pecans, they’re still coated in a sugar syrup and thus not the best thing to binge on.

Lastly, these made an awesome treat for me to bake because it meant my daughter could have something to indulge on too! While she definitely doesn’t get a whole lot of sugar (I even avoided it for her first birthday!) I’m alright with her having a bit of maple syrup and lots of healthy fats.

So basically, I made her day when I made these! She also learned how to sneak them very easily and probably ate far more that I would have allowed 😉

So.. make these healthy candied pecans! They’re easy, tasty and addictively delicious.

Ingredients in the Healthy Candied Pecans

2 cups pecans
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/3 cup pure maple syrup

Note: all of these health boosting ingredients can be purchased through my favorite retailer Well.ca– and the best part is that they offer free shipping!

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How To Make The Pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the syrup, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk well.

Place the pecans into a large bowl.

Pour the syrup mixture over the pecans and mix to combine.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the pecans on the tray until they are all laying flat.

Bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven, stir the pecans (making sure they are laying flat again) and bake for 2-3 more minutes.

Leave to cool on the pan for 30 minutes and they will harden.

Don’t forget to pin these healthy candied pecans!

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