Name: Apple Pecan Brussel Sprouts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds brussel sprouts (fresh, halved); 2 small fuji apples (chopped); 1 medium onion (chopped); ¾ cup candied pecans or candied walnuts (or plain) (chopped); ¼ cup balsamic vinegar; 2-3 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon garlic (minced); ½ teaspoon rosemary (finely chopped); ¼ teaspoon thyme; salt and pepper (to taste)

^{A brussel sprout recipe even the pickiest eaters will devour. Get your fruits and veggies in this sweet, caramelized combination. Perfect for a Winter holiday feast!}

I absolutely love roasted brussel sprouts! I love all vegetables, but this is one of my favorites. I also recognize that brussel sprouts are a lot of people’s least favorite vegetable. I think it all depends on how people grew up eating them. If they’re not roasted, they can be difficult to scarf down.

Luckily, my family and I made these often enough to really learn different ways to enjoy them. When I was trying to come up with some ideas for a special holiday recipe, something totally different and unique, I kept thinking about the best brussel sprouts I had a local barbecue restaurant. They were super crispy and glazed with honey. I’m sure they were not the leanest of sides but I was more interested in those than most of the smoked meats on the table.

This recipe took a little time to think of as I wanted to use ingredients on hand as well. There was also the desire to go with the glazed approach, but without saturating them in sugars. Last but not least, it was important to make sure they kept their crunch (a lesson I had to learn in the first batch). Trial and errors on my end, helps you on yours.

This recipe turned out to be super simple and absolutely delicious – to the point I ate the whole batch myself (well, close to it). Plus, it doesn’t use a ton of sweeteners and is balanced with the tangy mustard and vinegar. I promise you, if you try it you’ll be pleasantly surprised as to how much you like brussel sprouts!

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Apple Pecan Brussel Sprouts

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A brussel sprout recipe even the pickiest eaters will devour. Get your fruits and veggies in this sweet, caramelized combination. Perfect for a holiday feast!

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:20 mins

Total Time:35 mins

Ingredients

2 pounds brussel sprouts fresh, halved
2 small fuji apples chopped
1 medium onion chopped
¾ cup candied pecans or candied walnuts (or plain) chopped
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic minced
½ teaspoon rosemary finely chopped
¼ teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Line 2-3 large baking sheets with foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.
Cut brussel sprouts in half. Cube apples and dice onions. Spread all ingredients out on baking sheets. Best to keep brussel sprouts cut side down. Spray with non stick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 18-22 minutes until brussel sprouts get slightly brown and tender. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
In a small sauce pan combine vinegar, honey, syrup, mustard, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Whisk together and cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes. Whisk at least once a minute. Remove from heat and continue to whisk.
After the brussel sprouts have cooled slightly, drizzle the honey/syrup mixture over the brussels and apples on the baking sheet and gently toss until everything is coated. Chop the pecans and sprinkle over the brussel sprouts.

Notes

Ingredients & Technique:

The biggest key to this recipe is making the dressing, setting it aside and adding it after the brussels are cooked and crispy. I did it the other way thinking the dressing would caramelize around the vegetable as it roasted. I should’ve known it wasn’t going to work correctly because it straight up steamed the sprout. Roast, then toss. That is the best way.

The other suggestion, but not mandatory, is using candied pecans. I get it, we aren’t cutting down the sugar load much but if you find a pecan that is lightly glazed, it adds a great surprise in every crunch. Regular pecans or walnuts will work though.

Make sure you find an apple that is super crisp. There’s nothing worse than a mushy, mealy apple with no crunch. Use a pink lady, fuji or a honey crisp apple. Pinkish red apples that are fresh are the best. Green apples are way too tart for this recipe (it’s always a gamble).

Adding dried cranberries, dried cherries or even raisins would be great too!

How long does in last and where?

These last for 3-4 days in the fridge but they will become softer as the days go by. Also, the pecans start to lose their crunch as well. Still edible and delicious.

Can you freeze it?

No.

Substitutions?

If you want to use glazed/candied walnuts you can. I can think of a few plain nuts that would work just fine in this such as, walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, or even sunflower seed kernels if you needed something in a pinch. Don’t worry if they don’t have a glaze on them, they’ll be fine.

It is perfectly fine to use any type of maple syrup. I use sugar free or lighter maple syrup to avoid the dressing to be too high in calories or overly sweet. Just add a little bit at a time and taste.

What to serve with it?

Any and all holiday foods!

Also would go great with pork or any bbq dishes!