Sugared Pecans

I love Sundays when there's nothing on the agenda.  Today I was able to sleep in, catch up on the DVR, and do some leisurely cooking- the best kind of cooking!

For some reason, i've got Christmas time on my mind today (I blame the Pottery Barn catalogue) and I wanted to start brainstorming some homemade gifts.  I keep pecans in the freezer and they last for ages, so I already had all the ingredients on hand for sugared pecans.  I've made these before, but today I switched up a few ingredients and they turned out better than ever.  These pecans are sweet, a little bit chewy, and best of all- very easy to make in large batches.

Ingredients:
* 1 c. pecan halves
* 1 c. sugar
* 1/2 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
* 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 250.  Grease a cookie sheet, set aside (or use cooking spray).  Combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.  Place egg whites in a separate bowl and add two tbs. water.  Whisk egg whites until they're frothy, then add pecans (work in batches if necessary).  Remove the pecans with a slotted spoon and add to the sugar mixture, tossing well to coat.  Transfer the pecans to the cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes until crunchy, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes.  Enjoy!