Candied Almonds
The words crunchy, sweet and savory best describe our candied almond recipe. It’s an irresistible snack that doesn’t take long to make and would cost substantially more to buy at the store.
Start by setting your oven to 350 degrees and lining a baking sheet with waxed paper. Then, combine sugar, water, salt, cinnamon and allspice in a medium-sized skillet. Bring everything to a boil over medium heat then add in your raw almonds.
Make sure to thoroughly coat the nuts in the sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat gradually as the mixture thickens—it’ll prevent any scorching that would otherwise occur.
After 8 or 10 minutes, the mixture will become really thick and stringy and the nuts will clump together when stirring. That’s the sign to remove it from the heat and sprinkle with a little bit of baking soda.
Transfer the nuts to a baking sheet and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then, separate any nuts that are still stuck together and bake for 8–10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Remove from oven and cool slightly. If you enjoy a nut that’s less crispy, skip the oven baking altogether and allow them to cool ever so slightly on a baking sheet.
Whatever your choice, you can best experience the wonderful aroma and taste by serving the candied almonds warm—they are so easy to make, the kids can even help you out!
And don’t worry if you don’t like almonds! Feel free to use walnuts or pecans as an alternative. After all, isn’t any nut coated in sugar and spice bound to taste good?
candied almonds recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 2 1/2 cups raw almonds
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine sugar, water, salt, cinnamon and allspice in medium-sized skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add nuts and coat in sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce heat gradually to prevent scorching as mixture thickens but maintain bubbling.
- Remove from heat when mixture becomes very thick—sugar mixture will become stringy and nuts will clump together when stirring (this process will take approximately 8−10 minutes). Sprinkle with baking soda and mix well.
- Transfer to baking sheet and allow to cool; separate nuts that are stuck together.
- Bake nuts 8−10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from oven, cool slightly and serve warm!
Notes
