Sahale Valdosta Pecans Copycat Recipe

by: Chica

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Some time ago, I picked up a package of Sahale Snacks brand Valdosta Pecans, flavored with cranberry, orange, and black pepper. It sounded heavenly, and when I got home and tried some, they were so good that I almost ate the whole bag!

The bad news is that they were kinda pricey, and I wanted more. Lots more. And then my local grocery store discontinued the Valdosta Pecans flavor, and I was up a creek! I decided to recreate the recipe at home, so I could have as much as I wanted. And oh my goodness, I nailed it!

The ingredients in Sahale Valdosta Pecans

I took my cue from the ingredients listed on the package, which were all actual foodstuffs. Pecans, orange, cranberries, salt, and my favorite accent — black pepper. With the ingredients in hand, all I needed to do was experiment with the cooking technique until I came up with the perfect copycat recipe for Sahale Snacks Valdosta Pecans.

Make Sahale Valdosta Pecans at home

My recipe for making Sahale Valdosta Pecans at home is pretty easy, with simple ingredients. You just need pecans, sugar, corn syrup, dried cranberries, orange zest, salt, and fresh cracked pepper. And don't skimp on the fresh pepper and orange zest, because they will make it taste amazing!

Start by adding the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and pepper to a non-stick skillet.

Stir and cook over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves and it starts to bubble a little.

Then add the pecans and stir well to coat. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes. The pecans should be giving off a lovely nutty smell.

Turn off the heat, add the orange zest, and stir well. The mixture will be quite sticky at this point, but try to distribute the zest as best you can.

Dump the contents onto a piece of parchment paper (or a Silpat) on a cookie sheet and spread the pecans out into a single layer.

Put the cookie sheet into a 250 degree F oven and bake 15 minutes, stir well, then bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and add the cranberries, and stir well. (Adding the cranberries in the middle like this, instead of at the beginning, keeps them from drying out too much)

Put the pan back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, then stir again, then cook for another 15 minutes.

After a total of one hour in the oven (stirring every 15 minutes and adding the cranberries halfway through), the pecans will be slightly toasted and the sugar glaze will be dried out and not very sticky. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then break the pieces apart and store them in an airtight container.

Are these copycat Sahale Valdosta Pecans as good as the original?

I've had several friends try my pecans and compare them to the original, and they all say that my Valdosta Pecans recipe is right on the money. If anything is different, it's that the pecans are a little fresher and the flavors are brighter, because they haven't been sitting in a bag on the shelf for months. I hope you enjoy recreating your own Valdosta Pecans at home!

Yield: 2 cups

Sahale Valdosta Pecans Copycat Recipe

If you love everything about Sahale Valdosta pecans except the price, then you'll love this copycat recipe! These pecans are flavored with cranberries, orange, and black papper, makeing them a delightfully spicy, salty, sweet snack

Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes

Additional Time1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp orange zest

Instructions

Add sugar, corn syrup, salt, and pepper to a non-stick skillet. Stir and cook over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves and it starts to bubble a little.
Add the pecans and stir well to coat. Cook for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat.
Sprinkle orange zest over pecans and stir well.
Dump the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread out into a single layer.
Cook at 250 degrees F for 15 minutes, stir well, then bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the cranberries and stir well. (We add them now, instead of at the beginning, to keep them from drying out too much.)
Put the pan back into the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, stir well, then cook for a final 15 minutes. (One hour cook time total)
When done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then break apart the pieces.
Store in an airtight container.

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37 comments so far:

1

TXMess 09/15/2014 at 10:36 am

Oh, my goodness, this sounds amazing! Can't wait to try it. :)
2

jk - no joke! 11/07/2014 at 11:49 am

these are my favorite snack! I was hoping to put together a recipe myself, but you've beat me to it. Thank you so very much!
3

Chica 11/08/2014 at 9:10 am

JK, I hope you enjoy making these yourself as much as I do!
4

JW 11/26/2014 at 6:10 am

THANK YOU! I am on a limited diet, but these "work" for me. However, they are so yummy that no matter how much I tell myself not to, I eat the entire $4.60 bag in one sitting every time I buy one. I have been looking for a way to make a some at home.. you know, just 15 or 20 bags worth, so I can eat them all myself : ) Thanks again!
5

Chica 11/27/2014 at 10:50 am

JW, I hear ya! Hope you enjoy making these yourself :)
6

Martha 01/11/2015 at 7:10 pm

I just tried your recipe - it is superb - you really did nail it!!! Everything being fresh makes a huge difference.
I forgot to buy corn syrup at the store so I googled for an emergency substitute - it came back with dissolving 1 1/4 sugar with 1/4 cup hot water or any other liquid in the recipe - I juiced the Orange I had used for the zest and used that in place of the water - very nice substitute!!! Thank You for a great recipe!!!
7

Chica 01/14/2015 at 7:37 pm

So glad you enjoyed it, Martha. Mmm, you've inspired me to go make a batch!
8

Russ 04/19/2015 at 6:30 pm

Delicious!!!
This was my first attempt at a Sahale imitation and it was excellent! I had to make a few substitutions due to lack of exact ingredients on hand but the measurements are pretty much spot-on. I'm hooked!
9

Angelita Sta. Maria 05/23/2015 at 11:49 pm

Thank you so much! I love this kind of Sahale Valdosta. So expensive! So I'm glad I can try to make it myself.
10

Shawna 10/28/2015 at 9:31 pm

So grateful for your post. I didn't have corn syrup so used granulated sugar and molasses - I also added candied ginger, dried cherries and dried apricots (you use what you have !) and it was great. You'll need to do a follow up post with a 10,000 calorie burn workout to make up for those of us who will attempt to eat the entire batch :)
11

Nancy 05/31/2016 at 11:32 am

OMG, thanks for taking the time to do this. I was having trouble finding them and of course when I do, they are $4 - $5 per bag. I find it hard not to eat the whole bag in one setting. I can't wait to make these at home.
12

Jo 05/31/2016 at 2:30 pm

Nancy, I agree! They are hard to resist. Glad we could help!
13

Vidya 10/02/2016 at 6:09 am
See Also
Healthy Flapjack Recipe (Gluten Free, Sugar Free)

Hi Chica! Tried this recipe out - came out amazing, even better than the Sahale packet. Everyone at home loved the crunchy, sour, sweet pecans :)
14

Chica 10/03/2016 at 5:49 pm

Vidya, so glad to hear it!
15

Jean 10/26/2016 at 1:53 pm

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! I didn't feel like paying $4-$6 per bag, thanks again.
16

rhiannon 05/10/2017 at 6:41 pm

This was my favorite recipe since joining yummly! Thank you so much-our son has real health issues and this is his big treat. He loves them and now we can afford to enjoy them together. Also, I know exactly what he is getting when he eats them. I truly appreciate your wizardry with this recipe.
17

Alexis 06/21/2017 at 7:51 pm

Wow - this is awesome. I am so grateful that you shared this recipe! I made them tonight and they're delicious. I did however go a bit heavier on the pepper and orange zest, which I think was a mistake because I think those flavors did become a bit overwhelming (and I love fresh ground pepper and orange zest). Overall I was so pleased with this recipe and will definitely be making it again. I figured up I can get at least 7 bags' worth for the same cost as 3 bags in the grocery store. So this cuts the price by more than half by making these on my own. I also used the reduced sugar cranberries to increase the fiber and cut out a lot more sugar. Thank you. So much.
18

KALB 09/08/2017 at 6:30 pm

These are so good. Used honey instead of corn syrup, but finishing in the oven did not work for me and they still came out sticky. On the 2nd try, I kept on everything on the stovetop at lowest temp over about 20 minutes, flipping/stirring occasionally. Nice hard crack coating and no more gooey pecans. Thanks for sharing!
19

Erica 11/17/2017 at 7:30 am

I'm so glad for this recipe I needed it for another recipe I'm making for thanksgiving with butternut squash and Brussels sprouts
20

Linda 12/31/2017 at 3:00 pm

Thank you so much for this recipe. Like everyone says they are delicious but very pricey. Mine are in the oven right now. Based on all the other comments I’m sure they’ll be fabulous. Thank you again and have a happy new year.
21

Todi 04/12/2019 at 4:43 pm

Delicious! thank you for the technique. Substituted for what I had in the pantry and the came out great. 2 tblspn Maple Syrup instead of corn, 1/2 tspn cayenne instead of black pepper, and zest of meyer lemon instead of orange.
Tip: I grated the lemon onto the baking sheet and spread evenly. Then I gently placed the nuts on top to ensure an even coating. Other than that I followed your technique and timing exactly.
22

Julie Luna 08/21/2019 at 10:36 am

Can't wait to try this recipe. I an another who loves the taste but not the price of the store bought ones.
23

Medea 05/17/2020 at 3:07 pm

Thank you for this! I substituted maple for corn syrup, maple sugar for brown, added a quarter teaspoon of cayenne and half a teaspoon of white peppers and a few dashes of orange extract. Used clementine zest as I lacked oranges, and tart montmorency cherries in place of the craisins--again, what was in the pantry. They are fabulous!
24

Chica 05/17/2020 at 7:09 pm

Medea, it sounds like you came up with a tasty new recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
25

Laurie 06/15/2020 at 10:23 am

These are amazing thank you for sharing and figuring out this recipe. Have you tried reengineering the Sahale pistachio snack as well?
26

Jo 06/16/2020 at 9:20 am

Laurie, I'm glad you like it! We have not tried recreating any other Sahale varieties.
27

AMK 10/09/2020 at 3:12 pm

This recipe is fantastic. The family loves these on salads, yogurt, ice cream, and as a snack.
28

Patricia 10/29/2020 at 4:40 pm

Only complaint is this recipe was too yummy and couldn't stop eating. Going to have to forgo dinner. Thank you!
29

Milly 01/14/2021 at 9:47 pm

Oh my goodness! the recipe is perfect. I live in the UK and have been craving Sahale Pecans but they are so expensive especially when you pay the Custom and all. One tweak I made was instead of corn syrup, I used water, butter, sugar and then add the other ingredients (salt, pepper) to make the syrup.
Thank you! The only challenge is not to finish the jar of pecan nuts in one go ;-)
30

Chica 01/15/2021 at 8:58 am

Milly, we're so glad we helped you find a way to have the snacks you crave at an affordable cost. Enjoy!
31

Lillian 08/01/2021 at 6:02 am

These are yum! Do you also have Maple Pecan recipe? ?
32

Chica 08/01/2021 at 8:32 am

Lillian, we have not recreated any other Sahale recipes. If you find a good one for Maple Pecan, let us know!
33

Mary K Schmidt 08/20/2021 at 9:23 am

Thank you for the amazing base recipe!! I tweaked it a little and entered in our State Fair. It took best of show over the entire candy division. Candied nuts don't often win the top prize. These are REALLY tasty.
34

Jo 08/20/2021 at 9:27 am

That is amazing! We love a good state fair and all the creative inspiration you can find there. From which state are you?
35

JoAnn Ricci 11/24/2021 at 6:16 pm

My Sister in Law made this recipe. They were amazing. These are ingredients I have all the time so I will be making this soon!!!
36

Viki 12/30/2022 at 3:06 pm

Do you have a copycat recipe for the Sahale tangerine vanilla cashew macadamia snack. Thanks ?
37

Jo 01/03/2023 at 12:51 pm

Viki, we do not have a recipe for that flavor, but it sounds delicious!