Sort through pecan halves (save broken parts for cookies or something later), and roughly sort into small, medium, large halves.
Take little pieces of marzipan about the size of a pea or a peanut. Soften it, and stick two pecan-halves together with it.
Roll that in baharat, which will stick to the marzipan, and slightly to the pecan.
Keep sealed well or refrigerated.
1/2 C black peppercorns
1/3 C coriander seeds
1/4 C cassia bark
1/4 C cloves
1/3 C cumin seeds
2 tsp cardamom seeds
4 whole nutmeg
1/2 cup ground paprika
Grind together to powder.I think, at the time, she said it was an Egyptian spice mix.
When I ran out of Linda's mix, I ordered from Spices.com, and then from someone on Etsy who made some.
In 2019 or so, at a wedding, I asked Linda what those were called. She said they didn't have a name. "The kids liked marzipan," she said, "so I made those."So as far as I know (and I've looked), Linda Peterson created those. An attempt in 2022 with Deb Lewis and Holly to name them failed. Nothing sounds good. "Camel nads" or "tree gems" or "Pecan Sandras"... reject names. A friend of Holly's came up with "MarziPecans."
For years they were "those pecan things with marzipan..." [recipe above]
Directions from Daring Gourmet dot com, Marzipan Paste
Place the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined and any lumps are broken up. Add the almond extract and rose water and pulse to combine. Add the egg white and process until a thick dough is formed. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add more powdered sugar and ground almonds. Keep in mind that it will become firmer after it's been refrigerated.
Turn the almond marzipan out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Form it into a log, wrap it up in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Will keep for at least a month in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring to room temperature before using in any recipe.
Makes 13-14 ounces