With the holidays in full swing, there’s no better time than now to flex that baking arm of yours! Since I’m still working on perfecting my skills in this department, I thought I’d start off with something easy to make that all girls are a fan of – Pumpkin Spice Pecans!! Haha, but really, these were SO good that I ate half the batch upon pulling them out of the oven convincing myself I was “test-testing” them. It didn’t help that our whole house smelled like a mall with a peanut stand – i.e., heaven on earth 😊
What’s great about this recipe is that it doubles as the perfect host or hostess gift (especially great for all the upcoming holiday parties 😁). Instead of gifting just the pecans, I paired the homemade sweets with a trinket that tied into the fall season so the recipient could reuse it as a décor piece. Plus, these two complimented each other so perfectly, I couldn’t resist! If you don’t have time to go out and get a trinket, consider gifting a set of containers (Amazon Prime to the rescue!) with the treats – because we need all the extra’s we can get during the holidays! 
Don’t have time to make a treat? Don’t worry, just try to bring some sort of host or hostess gift – a bottle of wine, flowers, chocolate, even a small pumpkin – it will make your host feel special and leave a lasting impression.
Are you hosting Thanksgiving? What was the best hostess gift you’ve received?
Xo,
Jo
PUMPKIN SPICE PECANS RECIPE
Yield: 12 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (I used Simply Organic brand from Whole Foods, but you can also make your own by mixing cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and ground cloves)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract (I used McCormick)
3 cups pecan halves, I got mine at Trader Joe’s
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 250°F. In a small bowl, mix sugar, pumpkin spice and salt together and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine egg white and vanilla extract, beating together until foamy. Add pecans and mix well until fully coated. Sprinkle spice mixture into bowl, stirring pecans until coated evenly. Repeat process until spice mixture is gone.
Spread pecans across a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally (this prevents them from sticking together too much). Remove from oven and set aside until cool. Break apart, pour in serving dish, or container until ready to eat.
