homemade candied pecans

with the transition to becoming a single-income family, car problems, and having to buy lots and lots of diapers we don't have much money to spare this christmas. but i didn't want that to mean we couldn't give gifts to our loved ones this year, so i started racking my brain trying to figure out what inexpensive yet still meaningful gift we could give. then it hit me! who doesn't love yummy treats? and one of my favorite holiday treats is candied pecans. so i whipped up a batch which made enough for at least two gifts.

ingredients:

12 oz of shelled pecan halves

1 egg white

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 300 F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
wisk the egg white in a large bowl until foamy. wisk in cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. when all ingredients are well combined, add pecans and stir until coated. once coated, pour pecans on the parchment lined cookie sheet and spread into a single layer.
place cookie sheet on upper rack of the oven and bake for about 30 min. every 5 min or so rotate pecans to make sure all sides are roasted.
pecans are finished after about 30 min or once the coating is hardened and toasted.

while the pecans are cooling i line a small jar with tissue paper and print a jar label. you can create your own or find lots of free printables on pinterest. tape the label to the jar and add some festive ribbon around the top of the jar. 

once the pecans are completely cooled, fill the jar and screw on the lid and you have a perfect inexpensive christmas gift. 

the total cost for me was just $6.99 for the pecans. i already had all the spices and used an old olive jar and ribbon. 

what are some inexpensive gifts you've made?