Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a medium baking dish with butter, or spray with cooking spray.

Dice the celery and onion; set aside with rest of ingredients.

Toast the pecan pieces in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

Sauté the sausage in a skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Add the celery, onion, butter, and garlic, and cook about 5 more minutes until the vegetables are translucent and beginning to soften. Remove sausage/vegetable mixture from heat.

Combine stuffing mix, sage, dried cranberries, chicken broth, apple juice and black pepper with the sausage/vegetable mixture in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Put the stuffing mixture in the greased baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes until the top is lightly browned.