The Garden Club of Jacksonville’s annual pecan sale is back! We partner with the Golden Kernel Pecan Company to bring you a delicious selection of pecans just in time for the holidays. Our pecan sale is a big end-of-year fundraiser for the Garden Club of Jacksonville, with every purchase going towards our historic facility and programs.
Pecans are great this time of year for baking, snacking, or giving as holiday gifts! If you need some ideas for the upcoming festive season, use the high-quality pecans sold through the Garden Club to make some amazing holiday gifts, or a holiday meal, with the easy recipes below.
You can order your pecans online here, or you can download a pecans order form, fill it out, and mail it or bring it to the Garden Club along with your check:
Garden Club of Jacksonville
1005 Riverside Avenue
Jacksonville, Florida 32204
Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 cups pecan halves
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the pecans and stir continuously for 3 minutes, to lightly toast the pecans.
- Add in the brown sugar, and stir for an additional 2 minutes to melt the sugar.
- Stir in the cinnamon and salt, and add the water.
- Cook, stirring continuously, until the water is evaporated, 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla and stir to coat.
- Remove from the heat and spread evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant and lightly crisp.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.
Southern Pralines Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups (212g) pecan halves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Set out parchment paper for making the pralines on and have a tablespoon-sized scoop handy and ready to go.
- Add everything but the pecans, salt, and vanilla extract to a medium pot and heat over medium heat. Stir regularly until it begins to foam and boil
- When it begins to foam and boil, stir constantly until it reaches 236 degrees.
- Remove from heat and add the pecans, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Stir vigorously with a rubber spatula for 3 1/2 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. The longer you stir, the thicker the mixture gets. You don’t want it to get too thick, or it’ll be hard to scoop the pralines and they’ll dry more firmly.
- Quickly drop heaping tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment paper and allow them to cool and firm. If the mixture is too thin and spreads more than you want, stir a little bit more. If the mixture starts to cool too much as you’re scooping, place it back on the warm burner (but don’t turn it on) and let it keep the mixture warmer.
- When pralines are cool and firm, store them in an airtight container.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pecans
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the sweet potato cubes in a large casserole dish (11×15″ or 5 quart).
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds, or until the butter is melted, then stir until combined. Pour the butter mixture over the sweet potatoes in the casserole dish, and stir to coat.
- Transfer the casserole dish to the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, roughly chop the pecans. After roasting for 20 minutes, add the chopped pecans, give everything a good stir, and then roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft and the liquid in the casserole dish has reduced to a sticky candy coating. Serve hot.