Growing up in the South, pecans were always abundant. I’d grab a handful for a snack every day and always incorporate them into our meals. We didn’t limit ourselves to making pecan pie either. If you love them as I do, here are a few pecan recipes that are sweet and savory.
“This is too good not to eat every day,” thinks Francine Bryson (Pickens, SC) of her Toasted Southern Pe-Can Brown Sugar Butter. All I can say about this wonderful recipe is wow!
It’s a sweet and nutty compound butter. The pecans are toasted which brings out their flavor. Finely chopped, they’re mixed with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple extract. What a treat! This can be spread on toast or could be used on top of pancakes or waffles. It’s so good, you’ll be finding reasons to pull it out of the fridge.
Joyce Newman’s (Pollock Pines, CA) Caramelized Pecan & Cranberry Encrusted Brie is a beautiful way to enjoy Brie. It sounds fancy but it’s easy to make.
“This is my husband’s all-time favorite request when I have to make an appetizer to take to a party or get together,” reveals Joyce. “It’s so festive and artsy looking too!”
When you cut into it, the melted cheese just oozes out. What makes this a little different is the caramel-like glaze. It’s sweet and thick, crunchy from the pecans and a bit tart from the cranberries. Paired with the savory creamy Brie, it’s so delicious. We loved this with apple slices and buttery crackers.
Stuffing a chicken breast is easy to do and elevates basic chicken. Gretchen (Columbia, TN) shared her recipe for Cherry Pecan Stuffed Chicken Breast which is fantastic.
“My inspiration for this was a recipe for chicken breasts stuffed with sliced almonds and dried apricots,” explains Gretchen. “I made it my way using the ingredients I already had – pecans and dried cherries.”
This version is stuffed with a creamy herb goat cheese and sweet, tart dried cherries. It’s encrusted with a pecan crust. The chicken turns out perfectly moist and tastes amazing with the creamy cherry pecan filling. This is easy enough to prepare for a family dinner.
Of course, pecans are the star ingredient in pecan pie. Sherry Wilkins’ (Cabot, AR) shared her Chocked Full of Pecan Pie that’s filled with them.
“We love pecan pie but my husband complained that in most of the recipes I tried there was too much “goo” and not enough pecans,” shares Sherry. “So, I adapted this from other recipes I had tried.”
Full of crunchy pecans, with just enough filling to hold it together, this recipe has all the wonderful flavors you’d expect from a pecan pie. Plus, it’s really easy to make.
When I tried Stacey Exley’s (Keystone Heights, FL) Mamaw Soles Pecan Puffs I could not stop snacking on them.
“This recipe has been passed down three generations now that I know of,” explains Stacey. “I just recently been able to get this one and I’ve been wanting it for over 20 years.”
Brown sugar adds almost a buttery flavor to these cookies. They are light and airy… almost meringue-like since beaten egg whites are the main ingredient. These are addicting. Keep them on the kitchen counter and they’ll disappear in an instant.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, I could eat pecans at every meal. If your love of pecans goes deep like mine, I suggest you try one of these Blue Ribbon recipes I’ve shared. I think your taste buds will go nuts for them. Happy Pinching!