Recipe of the Month: Spiced Maple Pecans or Peanuts

Fresh greens and veggies from the garden get a serious salad upgrade with spiced maple pecans and homemade dressing. These are also great as an on-the-go snack. We dare you to resist eating them by the handful!

Yield- 2 ½ cups

1 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. sweet paprika
¼ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne (optional)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup maple syrup
½ tsp. coarse salt
2 tsp. maple sugar or brown sugar (optional)
2 cups pecans or peanuts

In a large bowl whisk together the first tsp. salt and spices, as well as maple sugar or brown sugar. Grease large baking sheet. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, melt butter, maple syrup, and the rest of the salt, and bring to a boil for 10-20 minutes, until is dark brown and foamy. If you have a candy thermometer, bring the temperature of the mixture to 290°.
Remove pan from heat, stir in pecans or peanuts until coated uniformly with butter and syrup mixture.
Quickly pour the coated nuts into the spice mixture and stir until coated evenly.
Quickly dump coated nuts onto prepared cookie sheet and spread evenly. Let cool completely on cookie sheet before storing in airtight container.