Treats and Eats

Last weekend, I had a couple of friends over and decided some festive snacks were in order. I finally made a batch of Olivia's caramel sea salt brownies. They're amazing and so simple. I might just need a batch every weekend until Christmas. I also roasted some pecans, which were fragrant and tasty and the perfect counterbalance to the sweets.

Roasted Spiced Pecans
Recipe courtesy of All You

1 pound pecan halves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
I threw a few springs of rosemary in just because.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pecans in a bowl. Melt butter over low heat and stir in spices, salt, pepper and sugar. Remove from heat; stir until sugar dissolves. Pour over pecans and mix well. Spread pecans evenly on a large rimmed cookie sheet and bake, stirring often, until dark brown and fragrant, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper while warm. Cool completely before serving. Yields 4 cups. (Can be made up to a week ahead; keep covered and refrigerated.)