Honey Chipotle Pecans

I was looking for a few more food ideas for a Margaritas and Munchies party and came across a recipe for these pecans. The original recipe is on Recipezaar, but I made a few modifications. I wasn't sure that I could find the dried chipotle pepper at the local grocery store, so I did some preemptive digging and found a recommendation for using smoked paprika in its place. Turns out, the local store had both so I picked them up. When I taste tested the spices though, the chipotle smelled fantastic but had a huge burn.

These things are sooooo good. I wanted to just stuff my face down into the bag once they were done, and Bill had to take them away from me so we had enough for the party. I can't wait to try the recipe with some walnuts or pistachios!

Here's the recipe with my modifications:

Honey Chipotle Pecans

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 and 1/3 cups pecan halves
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, warm honey with chipotle, paprika, and cinnamon over low heat. Add nuts and stir to coat.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and spread nuts in a single layer on the sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant (10 - 15 minutes).

Remove and allow to cool for one minute. Combine the sugar and salt in a mixing bowl, add the nuts, and stir to coat.

Spread the nuts out on a clean sheet of waxed paper and let them dry completely. Store in an airtight container.