If you plan on making pecan pies, then buying bulk pecan halves makes sense. Most pecan pie recipes call for several cups of these nuts, so buying them in bulk tends to cost less than buying numerous small bags. But what else can you do with any pecans you have leftover after pie making? Here are some other uses for bulk pecan halves.
Pecan Turtles
Pecan turtles are basically bunches of pecans that have had caramel and chocolate poured over them. You can buy them in most candy stores, but making them yourself is surprisingly easy, and you'll use up several cups of pecan halves just making one baking sheet worth of them. Basically, you want to lay out pecan halves in groups of four. Arrange each group of pecan halves so that they're spread out like turtle feet. Melt some caramels, and put a spoonful of melted caramel on top of each group of pecan halves. Let the caramel solidify. Then, melt some chocolate. You can use milk or dark chocolate depending on your preferences. Put a spoonful of melted chocolate on top of the caramel on each turtle. Let the chocolate solidify, then peel your pecan turtles off the baking sheet. Enjoy!
Pecan Cookies
You can take almost any cookie recipe and add pecans to it. Doing so gives the cookies a nutty flavor and a more unique texture. You can add about a cup of pecans to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, or even to a sugar cookie recipe. Alternatively, you could press a few pecan halves into the tops of cookies before baking them. There's usually room for about 2 - 3 pecan halves per cookie. They'll come out of the oven with a nice, toasty flavor.
Granola
Another option is to make your own granola with pecans. You can find almost any granola recipe that calls for nuts of any kind, and just use the pecan halves in place of whatever nuts the recipe calls for. The pecans are softer than almonds, which makes them a better choice for anyone who wants less crunchy granola. They also have a pretty bold flavor, so they add some complexity to the granola.
If you have plenty of pecan halves left after making pecan pie, then try using them up via one or more of the methods above. Pecans are delicious and versatile, so having too many is not a bad thing.
For more information contact a company like Selman Nut Co.
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