This is a pretty simple recipe with only 5 simple ingredients. When pecans are in season I tend to buy extra and freeze them so I can make this recipe anytime I need to.
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper - keeps the pecans from sticking as they bake and makes for easy cleanup. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk two egg whites until they are frothy. This takes only a couple of minutes.
Add 1 cup of white granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 2 heaping teaspoons of cinnamon to the bowl and whisk well. Some recipes call for half that amount of cinnamon, but I find that the sweetness comes out more with the 2 teaspoons.
Add in the 2 pounds of pecan halves (unsalted) and toss well so that pecans are coated with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Spread coated pecans out onto prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Bake in oven for 1 hours - stirring the pecans every 15 minutes, so they don't stick and so they will bake on both sides.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheets before storing in an airtight container or packaging up in gift containers.