I bought raw grocery store pecans recently. Guests were arriving and I wanted something to nibble on with our wine. Once home, I discovered the pecans were ho hum in texture and taste; they were a chore to chew and rather bland.

Turning on the oven and roasting them transformed tasteless raw pecans into something remarkable, sophisticated and complex. They became delightfully crisp and turned a beautiful darker shade. Roasting deepened the flavour too. I even heard them crackle as they roasted. Roasting pecans also makes your home smell wonderfully fragrant!

If you serve them to guests before they completely cool, roasted nuts become a tactile pleasure. "Hmmm, these nuts are still warm," one guest murmured.

Roast nuts plain or flavour them how you prefer. I gave mine a good splash of maple syrup along with sea salt and lots of pepper.

The thing to keep in mind when roasting nuts is they go from not done to ready in a nano second! To ensure even roasting, check in on them from time to time and move them around. The nuts at the edges of the baking pan can brown sooner than the nuts in the middle.

These are great as a companion to drinks before dinner or as a snack. A small jar would be a great gift to bring the host of a party. They also taste great in a salad.

Oven Roasted Pecans with Maple Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 325 degrees F if your oven runs hot.

Place pecans in a bowl. Drizzle with maple syrup, add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss well.

Spread pecans in single layer on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.

Place in oven.

Check after 5 minutes, stir or redistribute the nuts and continue roasting.

Check the nuts again after 3 to 5 minutes.

Return to the oven if needed and check again after another 3 minutes.

You know they're done when there is a nutty smell in the air and the nuts are slightly darker.

Nuts rarely take longer than 15 minutes to roast, usually closer to 8 to 12 minutes.