By Emily Brennan

I think that many would agree that one of the best parts of the holiday season is the food.  It begins at Thanksgiving and is all downhill from there; from cookie swaps to gingerbread house making you and sugar will be best friends by the time the new year rolls around.  I wish I were about to write a list of tips to curb the holiday sugar intake, but I’m not.  Instead, I will be sharing a recipe for candied pecans, which I will call Cranbrandied Pecans!

YOU’LL NEED:

2 egg whites

½ cup + 1 tsp water

1 tbsp brandy

½ cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 pound shelled pecan halves

5 oz cranberries

dash of salt

1 cup broken pretzels (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 and butter a baking pan.

2.  Place the cranberries, ½ cup water, and 1 tsp of sugar into a pot over medium

heat.  Stir occasionally and add more water if necessary as the cranberries pop, the water will help keep the cranberry concoction loose so that the texture is similar to a thin jelly.

3.  Beat the egg whites and 1 tsp water until stiff peaks form.

4.  Add 2 tbsp of brandy to the egg mixture and beat until combined.

5.  Mix cinnamon, cayenne pepper, sugar, together (set a little of this mixture aside to sprinkle over the pecans before putting in the oven) and add to the egg and brandy mixture.

6.  Add 4 tbsp of cranberry concoction into the egg mixture.

7.  Mix the pecans and broken pretzel sticks into the egg and sugar mixture.

8.  Spread the pecans and pretzels on the greased baking sheet in a single layer and put in the oven.  Stir every 10 minutes or so for 30-40 minutes or until pecans are browned.

9.  Let the pecans and pretzels cool.

10.  Put candied pecans on ice cream, yogurt, oatmeal, salad, or use it to crust chicken or trout.

*Also it is perfectly acceptable to eat this concoction straight from the pan as you binge watch made-for-TV holiday movies—‘tis the season!