Caramelized Pecans

Ingredients

8 oz pecans, halved or chopped

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla or dark rum

a few drops of lemon juice to keep sugar from hardening, optional

Directions

Lay out a cookie sheet with some parchment paper. Place the pecans in a bowl within easy reach of the pan. In a medium saucepan heat up the sugar, water, vanilla and lemon juice on low or medium low until just starting to simmer. Stir constantly with a wooden or silicone utensil until sugar is completely melted. The process is shown in the pictures below. At first the sugar will dissolve into the water and then you will reach a stage where it becomes hard again though with a sandy texture. Continue stirring through that stage and you eventually reach the melting point where the sugar completely melts. Immediately stir the pecans into the caramelized sugar and pour out onto the prepared cookie sheet. Break apart any large chunks and let cool completely.