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On any given day, you can eat healthy. Whether it’s a foreign-looking vegetable, unidentified fruit-shaped object, or stale rice cake that you crave... enjoy! However, when it’s National Pecan Day, feel free to cheat, indulge, and savor every moment. Diet, do you see the door? Yes? Well, don’t let it hit you on the way out!

 

In all seriousness, eating a handful of pecans everyday may help contribute to heart health and disease prevention. Pecans rank highest among all nuts in their antioxidant capacity and may reduce the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Pecans also contain plant sterols, which are known for their cholesterol-lowering ability.

 

Although most people associate pecans with the holidays, it’s okay to eat them year-round. Here are my favorite pecan-inspired sweet dessert recipes: 

 

Brownie Pecan Pie - Pecan, you already had me at pie, but now you add fudgy brownie to the ingredient list? You have my full attention! This jaw-dropping pie belongs in the baking Hall of Fame! It will disappear before your very eyes!

 

Grams Best Brown Sugar Cake - Moist, delicious brown sugar and pecan cakey-goodness with crunchy edges, just the way I like it! No frosting needed. Serve with a side of ice cream for extra decadence. Very easy to polish off with a cup of coffee too! 

 

Butter Pecan Cookies - I’m an absolute sodium junkie and I have a very demanding sweet tooth. So, when salty and sweet come together, it feels like Christmas morning in my house. These butterscotch pecan cookies are definitely swoon-worthy with their over-the-top flavor!  

 

Pecan Chewies - Hide the pan! You’ll want to keep these chewy, gooey, buttery pecan bars all to yourself. Similar in taste to a blondie (light version of brownie) and really satisfying without being too rich and overpowering. 

 

Salty Chocolate-Caramel Turtle Cookies - You may not be a nut-in-your-cookie kinda person. It’s a bit disappointing when you bite into something soft and then a walnut gets in the way. I understand. But this chocolate-caramel turtle cookie will convert you. Girl Scout promise!

 

Praline Crumb Caramel Cheesecake Bar - This is one delicate, delightful dessert! The cheesecake, caramel, toffee, and pecans collide to create a taste sensation like no other. Definitely worth the extra time at the gym!

 

Wishing you all a pecan-ful day! Hope it’s salty, crunchy, creamy, ooey, gooey, and full of tasty treats!

 

 

- Rita Korkounian, YH Staff