Getting sweet goods from local and usually unknown purveyors is just plain fun. For one, the candies tend to be handmade, crafted in small batches, and you can taste the hard work. Not that ‘big candy’ is uneatable (…M&M’s and Reese’s? Essential.) but the small companies bring an energy to their treats that’s hard not to like.

Looking for Holiday down-home treats? Check out the Wood Pecan Co.

From pieces, to halves, to full and in shell. From chocolate covered, to honey glazed, and brittle — if the pecan is your nut, call the folks at Wood in Montgomery, Alabama. They quite literally make anything and everything that you’d add a pecan to.

The sweet treats we received came in two baskets: The “Original” Sweet Home Alabama gift basket and a special one I think they built just for us.

Here’s what I ate:

See the big chocolate covered pecan patties with caramel in them? Yeah. They’re great. The chocolate is thick, a tad on the sweet side, but tastes like it came from a kitchen and not a factory. The caramel is pretty thick and of course there are plenty of nuts. Pecans, in case you didn’t know, are pretty soft. So in this patty, they work well, providing a slight crunch with all the soft parts.

See the white chocolate nuggets above? They are good too. A tad too sweet for me but the flavor is great and I kept eating and re-eating when I was trying to stop. The little brown things are praline pecans. Didn’t love those. Not enough crunch for me. The soft pecan made these a tad too un-dense for my mouth.

The patty above is a Louisiana Praline. Again, soft. The flavor is yummy, but I wanted the texture harder. The rolls above? Yum. Think light vanilla creme in a bunch of pecan pieces. I’m guessing these aren’t for the calorie counters.

And what I ate is just the beginning. Check out their site – they have LOADS of pecan-infused goods. So if you aren’t allergic to tree nuts (!) and you need a basket for the boss or just to put on the table for all the guests this Xmas, visit the Wood Pecan Company and get some southern goodness.