I’ve adapted this REALLY EASY recipe from one provided by my friend Mary Wisseman. Stick to pecans; I’ve tried many other nuts and (in my opinion) all are disappointing by comparison. There’s no magic to the spice mixture.  What I have here is just a suggestion; so do whatever tastes good to you.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pecans (toasting them is NOT necessary)
• 2 large egg whites
• ½ cup (120g) packed light brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• Spices per your taste:
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp cloves
  • ½ tsp cardamom
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ¼-½ tsp cayenne or chile powder
• 1 tsp vanilla (and maybe ½ tsp of bourbon, too)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C).
• Lay down foil or parchment paper on two baking sheets and oil them very lightly.
• Whisk the egg whites until frothy, then stir in the sugar, salt, spices, and vanilla.
• Add in the nuts and stir well until they are all well coated.
• Distribute the nuts in a thin layer on your baking sheets.
• Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring after 10 and 20 minutes to help them cook evenly and not stick to each other or the pans.
• As the nuts cool, stir them several times to break up any clumps.