45 Recipes For National Pecan Month

Welcome to April, which not only is the month when spring tends to begin to blossom and the Easter bunny often comes, but it's also National Pecan Month! If you're a pecan fan and choose to celebrate, you're in luck because we certainly celebrate this fun month around here. We have put together quite the list of pecan recipes sure to delight not only you, but also your friends and family. Some are perfect for an Easter appetizer spread, others for a dessert, and some — especially our praline candies — are ideal for saving for yourself when you are craving a quick, sweet treat.

Are these recipes pecan your interest? Pun totally intended — we've got something for everyone here, from a traditional pecan pie to pecan-crusted cheese balls to salads laden with pecans to even a whole trout covered in pecan butter. Dare we say they're recipes you'll go nutty for?

Not up for making an entire pecan pie? Never fear, you don't need to with this pecan pie bar recipe from recipe developer Kristen Carli. These bars are chock full of not only plenty of pecans, but also "all kinds of sweet, buttery goodness." Carli walks you through how to make the crust in a food processor then spreads it across the bottom of a baking pan, showing you how to chill the crust before baking it. Then you'll make the pecan mixture to top the crust with. Delectable!

Recipe: Quick Easy Pecan Pie Bar

Recipe developer Kristen Carli likens this creamy grape salad to a yogurt parfait, noting it's great for breakfast, although you can certainly enjoy it any time of day. The creamy base is made from cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. You'll stir in both green and red grapes and chopped pecans. If you want to embellish your grape salad, consider adding more fruits like strawberries, blueberries, or apples, or more nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pistachios.

Recipe: 10-Minute Creamy Grape Salad

April may not exactly be the month you're thinking about your beloved pumpkin spice, which is usually reserved for the fall season, but there's no reason you can't enjoy its goodness all year round. Enter this pumpkin spice-baked French toast, which combines the flavors of pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple. There are quite a few ingredients involved in this recipe, but it's fairly simple to assemble. You'll top the French toast with a homemade pecan streusel.

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Baked French Toast

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn calls this layered blueberry delight, "totally decadent," and we couldn't agree more, especially with its topping of Cool Whip sprinkled with chopped pecans for a bit of crunch. The best part is that it's fairly simple to make and you don't need to heat up your oven because the blueberry delight chills in the fridge. The other layers include a graham cracker and pecan crust, a sweetened cream cheese and Cool Whip layer, and blueberry pie filling.

Recipe: Luscious Layered Blueberry Delight

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes loves this Saltine cracker toffee and says it's "super fun to make." Brookes shows you how to prepare the seemingly difficult and intimidating toffee, reassuring home cooks it's not hard to make as long as you stay near the stove and keep stirring while preparing it. You'll also have to be sure to pour the toffee mixture and melted chocolate in even layers over the Saltines. After they come out of the oven, sprinkle the chopped pecans on top before chilling.

Recipe: Saltine Cracker Toffee

A chocolate cake is pretty darn delicious, but a chocolate cake recipe with homemade pecan pralines inside takes it to a whole new level. Recipe developer Kristen Carli shows you how to make "the perfect pralines" and how to mix together the chocolatey cake batter and make the whipped cream frosting. After assembling the finished product, sprinkle some chocolate chips across the top of the cake before serving to the most deserving of your friends and family.

Recipe: Chocolate Praline Layer Cake

To make the batter for these classic deluxe Toll House chocolate chip cookies, you'll certainly need traditional cookie ingredients like flour and sugar, but you'll also mix in Toll House semi-sweet mini chocolate chips and toasted pecans. Recipe developer Jessica Morone says, "I just love the way the brown butter goes with the toasted pecans," making this type of nut the ideal choice for these cookies. Keep the finished cookies on hand for a snack, after lunch treat, or anytime you're craving something sweet.

Recipe: Deluxe Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baklava is a popular dish in Greece and Turkey, but that doesn't mean it can't be perfected on this side of the Atlantic. Here, recipe developer Erin Johnson shows you how to assemble the baklava, layering the filling, which includes chopped pecans, between layers of phyllo dough. Be patient; the baklava will take about 45 minutes to put together, then requires an hour in the oven. Once finished, you'll pour a delightfully sweet honey syrup over the top and slice the baklava into triangles.

Recipe: Baklava

Everyone at a party loves a cheese ball, and this creative take on the appetizer from recipe developer Erin Johnson is like no other complete with cranberries, orange juice, and pecans. What's even better is that you can make this cranberry orange cheese ball up to two days before your party, so you'll have less to do the day-of. Johnson walks you through how to mix together the cream cheese-based cheese ball then roll it in a coating of orange zest, chopped cranberries, chopped pecans, and fresh parsley.

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Cheese Ball

For this German chocolate cake recipe, recipe developer Tara Rylie walks you through not only how to make a decadent chocolate cake, but also how to stuff it with a coconut-pecan filling, make the chocolate fudge frosting, and how to perfectly toast the pecans. Rylie offers advice when making the cake itself: you need to be sure to add the ingredients in the correct order, so be sure to follow the instructions to a T.

Recipe: German Chocolate Cake

The addition of cranberries and pecans to this turkey salad makes it "sweet, savory, and tangy all at once." Sounds like our kind of turkey salad! Recipe developer Erin Johnson likes serving it on its own atop lettuce for a delectable salad or on a croissant as a sandwich. In addition to shredded turkey, dried cranberries, and chopped pecans, you'll also add in green onions and grapes while making a dressing of mayonnaise, sour cream, and lemon juice.

Recipe: Turkey Salad With Cranberries and Pecans

Recipe developer Jennine Bryant got creative when coming up with this whole-roasted rainbow trout recipe, calling the finished product "a showstopper dish," claiming the pecan butter you'll pour over the top takes it to a whole new level. Bryant shows you how to gut the fish and stuff it with lemon slices, garlic, and herbs before popping it in the oven for about 20 minutes. Bryant says you should pair this fish dish with something light like a salad or roasted mixed vegetables.

Recipe: Whole-Roasted Rainbow Trout

We all find ourselves craving fudge around the holidays, but with this Christmas fudge recipe, you'll find yourself craving it all year round, including in April. Recipe developer Susan Olayinka put together this toffee fudge recipe that's chock full of pecans and features Christmas sprinkles on top, although you could use any kind or color of sprinkles you'd like. Olayinka shows you how to melt together the ingredients before whisking it into a fudge, pouring it into a baking pan, and letting it harden. "It's a must-try!" she says.

Recipe: Christmas Fudge

This old-fashioned pecan coffee ring recipe from recipe developer Angela Latimer has three parts. First, you'll make the sweet dough, then the pecan filling, and finally the icing to drizzle over the top of the finished product. Worry not, it won't take you too long to prep this recipe, only about 20 minutes total, and Latimer shows you in detail how to execute each step. Serve with tea or coffee or as part of your brunch spread.

Recipe: Old Fashioned Pecan Coffee Ring

Oatmeal cookies are great on their own, but when you add in orange, cranberry, and pecans, they're even better. Recipe developer Mark Beahm says the "contrast between the tart cranberries and the sweetness from the brown sugar" is interesting, and the added crunch of the pecans is a bonus. The oats make these a "heartier cookie," perfect to enjoy on their own or with a glass of milk. Beahm shows you how to mix together the batter and how to form the dough into perfect balls before baking.

Recipe: Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies

Skip the line at Panera Bread and make this Fuji apple salad copycat in the comfort of your own home. Recipe developer Kristen Carli tells you what ingredients you'll need to pick up from the grocery store, including a rotisserie chicken if you're not looking to cook a whole chicken just to make one salad, and, of course, pecans. The dressing is simple to make with just five ingredients: olive oil, white wine vinegar, minced garlic, horseradish mustard, and honey. Whisk them together in a bowl before dressing the salad.

Recipe: Panera Bread Fuji Apple Salad Copycat

Recipe developer Mikayla Marin put together this easy caramel pecan sticky buns recipe that will take you only 40 minutes to make, thanks to the fact that you'll start with some pre-made pizza dough and don't have to make the dough from scratch. Marin shows you how to make the sweet caramel pecan sauce for the sticky buns then how to roll them up with the cinnamon filling before baking in the sauce. Flip the pan when these babies come out of the oven and you'll have breakfast perfection.

Recipe: Easy Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns

This chocolatey Texas sheet cake is massive — just like the state of Texas itself — so be sure you'll have plenty of guests over when you make this cake to help you eat it. Recipe developer Jessica Morone walks you through how to make the cake itself, then the rich chocolate frosting, on top of which you'll sprinkle some crunchy chopped pecans. It's as easy as that! If you're looking for serving suggestions, Morone likes pairing this Texas sheet cake with ice cream or a glass of milk.

Recipe: Chocolatey Texas Sheet Cake

Recipe developer Erin Johnson put together this cookie recipe to complement one of her favorite ice cream flavors: butter pecan, of course! Turns out others love butter pecan ice cream, too. This recipe yields "a thin and chewy cookie," making them easy to snack on, and they totally get bonus points for being easy to make. Johnson shows you how to roast the pecans with some butter before mixing them into the cookie batter and scooping the finished dough onto baking sheets before putting them in the oven. Press an extra one — or two — pecans into the top of the cookie for a tasty garnish.

Recipe: Butter Pecan Cookies

If you don't have time to head down to the local Trader Joe's to snag some of its classic chicken salad you've been craving for lunch, never fear; you can now make a Trader Joe's chicken salad copycat in your own kitchen. Recipe developer Lindsay D. Mattison did some detective work and put together this excellent copycat recipe made from chicken, celery, dried cranberries, and pecans. The dressing is a work of art in its own right, containing mayonnaise, honey, apple cider vinegar, poppy seeds, and salt and pepper.

Recipe: Trader Joe's Copycat Chicken Salad

Recipe developer Ting Dalton has reinvented this classic southern cake with a sock-it-to-make cake recipe sure to knock your socks off. Dalton shows you how to make the cake batter from scratch, including a DIY self-rising flour. You'll also make a streusel filling of chopped pecans, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. You'll assemble the batter and the filling in a bundt cake pan for a fun shape, then make the sugary glaze while the cake bakes and cools.

Recipe: Sock-It-To-Me Cake

This is another cheese ball that's great for an appetizer as it's full of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and pepper Jack cheese as well as spices, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. After forming the base of the cheese ball, you roll it in a mixture of parsley and pecans. Recipe developer Erin Johnson recommends serving this classic cheese ball with some buttery crackers, as a topping on burgers, or even including some in your mac and cheese for an interesting upgrade.

Recipe: Classic Cheese Ball