Sluttishly Sweet: Caramelised Pecans

There are many things in the world that can put a smile on my face, most of them food-based. Hash browns, Thai food and chicken soup are surefire ways to make me happy (and make me fancy you a bit, FYI). And Haagen Dazs Pralines and Cream.

To be honest, I couldn't care less about the ice cream. I just want all of the caramelised pecans. If you're lucky enough to share my ice cream, I'll fight you for the good bits. There's a tub in the freezer that's half full, but totally bereft of tasty pecans.

So I decided to make my own.

There are a few methods you can follow - if you have a sugar thermometer, you can simply make your own caramel. Or you can make a syrup and bake in the oven. Both great options, but I'm trying a simpler method as seen on the BBC Good Food. Booze and icing sugar and a bit of stirring. What's not great about that?

You'll need:

• 100g of pecans
• 140g icing sugar
• 50ml brandy
• 2 drops orange blossom water (optional, but I used really shit brandy)

Make it!

• Mix everything together in a pan over a medium heat, stirring constantly (if you stop stirring or your pan is too hot, you'll end up with a massive burnt mess of goo).
• They're done when you can't stir easily, but not totally dry
• Spread out your nuts onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and wait for them to cool. You can break them up once they're cool.
• Put them on ice cream, in muffins or just shove them all into your face.

Tip: If you do cook your pan dry (it's easily done, you can make up a smaller amount of caramel with the same ingredients again - you'll have some excess sauce, but as long as you don't burn the mixture, your nuts can be resecued.