Butter-Roasted Pecans with Thyme and Cayenne - Easy

Have I got a delicious and easy recipe for you to try ... right now.

This very minute.

I really mean it.  It's so easy, you can make a batch before breakfast and still get to work on time.  Which is a good thing, because it's so good you'll want to get it all out of the house and share with co-workers before you scarf down the whole batch yourself!

Where did I find this recipe?  It fell into my lap.  And by fall, I mean the blog was assigned to me through the Secret Recipe Club.  The club, in case I haven't explained the rules in a while, is where each member selects and makes a recipe from another member's blog.  This month I have the honor of being assigned A Spoonful of Thyme, hosted by Kate.  Kate has been part of a gourmet cooking group for 33 whole years, so you know her recipes have to be good.  She has a day job (like me), and she believes (like me) that "there is always thyme to cook and sit down as a family for the evening meal."  No matter how hectic a day may be, getting the family together around the dinner table is important, and not just for the good food.  It's a chance to talk as well.  A woman after my own heart!

Having bought way too much carrots for soup recipe, I was originally looking for what Kate has posted using carrots.  Her Maple Roasted Carrots sounds heavenly ... how can I go wrong with bourbon? And her Honey-Glazed Tarragon Carrots looks especially scrumptious!  But then I accidentally hit that stupid mouse wheel and the cursor shot down almost to the end of the page ... and when I saw roasted pecans recipe I set aside the carrots for another day.

I love pecans!  Which is a good things, because after batches upon batches of candied pecans and a pie or three, I'm still enjoying handfuls and looking for other recipes to use up the cup or so I still had left (an industrial-sized bag from the warehouse club doesn't last forever anymore).

These pecans are enhanced with thyme ... which I still had plenty of, fresh-frozen from last summer's crop.  And (coincidentally)  thyme just happens to be Kate's blog name.  It's bashert (destiny).  I simply had to try some.

Turns out, this pecan recipe is easy-peasy!  Melt a couple pats butter, stir in the spices then toss in the pecans.  A quick roast in the oven and you're done!  These pecans can even be made in advance!   The hardest part is leaving them in the oven long enough to toast, especially when that wonderful nutty aroma wafts from the oven.  Easy and delicious!  Great buttery flavor, tinged with thyme and just a hint of spicy heat.  Definite a keeper!

Lucky for me I only had barely half a recipe's worth of pecans because I pretty much ate them all after the photo shoot.  No leftovers for work (sorry Dear Co-Workers).

Butter-Roasted Pecans with Thyme and Cayenne - Easy
Adapted from: A Spoonful of Thyme

 3 Tbl. unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbl. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne (red) pepper
3 cups pecan halves (about 12 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Place pecans in a 2-quart bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir in thyme, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Pour butter mixture over pecans and toss well to coat evenly.

Spread pecans out in a singles layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake on center rack until pecans are golden and fragrantly toasty, 8-10 minutes.  Watch carefully after the 8 minute mark to avoid burning, which can happen in an instant.  If they look almost done, they are DONE!

Remove baking sheet from oven and immediately transfer pecans off sheet and onto a heat-safe surface (to help stop the roasting process).   Cool at least 10 minutes.  Serve warm.

Store in a tightly sealed container at room temperature up to 2 days. Gently re-warm in a low (200F) oven 10 minutes before serving.

Important note! Because this post is participating in a blog hop, some of the recipes below might not be kosher.

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