Stuckey’s – Home to the ORIGINAL Pecan Log Roll

Is there any American road trip snack more iconic than Stuckey’s pecan log roll? You won’t find Europeans munching on this uniquely sweet candy delight while speeding down the Autobahn. Nor are you likely to find an Argentinean driving along their 3,000 mile Ruta 40 eating a rollo de madera de pacana de Stuckey’s (which Google Translate assures us is Spanish for “Stuckey’s Pecan Log Roll”).

No siree! Stuckey’s Pecan Log Roll is the original pecan log roll that’s been around just about as long as the great American road trip itself. Ask any American who ever took to the open road in their family station wagon what they remember snacking on while staring out of the window looking for Stuckey’s billboards, and they’re sure to tell you it was Stuckey’s Pecan Log roll.

Stuckey’s didn’t invent the pecan log roll, mind you, but it was Ethel Stuckey, wife of Stuckey’s founder W.S. Stuckey, who perfected it and made it famous way back in 1937.

You see, Mr. Stuckey wanted to supplement the pecan trading business he owned in Eastman, Georgia, so he came up with the novel idea of setting up a roadside stand – what really amounted to a “lean-to” shack – and selling his pecans along Highway 23 to tourists passing by on their way to and from Florida. In addition, to pecans he also sold cane juice, syrup, homemade quilts and “all-you-can-drink-for-a-nickel” cherry cider.

One day, W.S. rushed into the in the middle of Ethel’s bridge game with the grand idea of selling candy at his little road side stand that was seemingly growing bigger. We imagine that he hurried her friends out of the house while he led her to the kitchen, telling her to whip up a batch of pralines right then and there, though she never made candy before in her life.

Nevertheless, the pralines were a big hit, and Ethel soon recruited her sisters, Hazel and Pearl, to help make pecan divinity and fudge. Ethel would make candy four times a day in their home kitchen and then walk the 2-3 miles to deliver them to the pecan shack where Mr. Stuckey added “Fresh Homemade Candy – Made Today” to his “Pecans for Sale” sign.

One day Mrs. Stuckey was experimenting with an old family recipe that involved white molasses, powdered sugar, and roasted pecans, making some of the first pecan log rolls in Stuckey’s history and, once again, they became a big hit with the tourists.

She soon perfected it by mixing a light, fluffy nougat center with maraschino cherries (our “secret ingredient”) then dipping it in freshly-made, buttery caramel, topping it off by hand rolling the confection in chopped Georgia pecan pieces – the Stuckey’s pecan log roll recipe we closely follow to this day  including the “secret ingredient” before it’s quickly wrapped to ensure freshness.

Since then, Stuckey’s pecan log roll remains the original pecan log roll of American roadside culture. Yes, others have often imitated, but they’ve never duplicated the wholesome and delicious taste of the original Stuckey’s pecan log roll.

In fact, the little lean-to stand did so well after that, Mr. Stuckey opened the first Stuckey’s store on Route 23 outside Hilliard, Georgia, soon after.  And the rest, as they say, is roadside history.

If after reading this post you find yourself craving a Stuckey’s pecan log roll, why not stop by one of our Stuckey’s locations near you and satisfy your sweet tooth today? While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up some more pecan candies and other Stuckey’s merchandise for the family and folks back home. Or order them from our website and have them delivered right to your door.

Rediscover highway happiness like you used to know it. Make a Stuckey’s stop or visit www.stuckeys.com today!