Cinnamon Sugared Almonds
the perfect homemade gift!
I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but for the last 22 hours, 31 minutes, and 47 seconds I have been a free woman. Free from college, free from exams, & best of all, free from the stress that comes with both college & exams. It is blissful! I literally got home from my last exam yesterday & just lay down. Do you know how nice it is to just lie down? I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it was.
I’m not going to lie, after developing such a bond with the couch, it was a struggle to tear myself away. But I kept thinking of the smell that would fill the house when I made these cinnamon sugared almonds. And the taste. Okay fine, it was mostly the taste that got my lazy butt off the couch. And now I think of it, the crunchy texture had something to do with it too. The fact that these are so damn easy to make also helps. Why on earth did it take me so long to get off the couch?
why cinnamon sugared almonds?
These cinnamon sugared almonds have been on my mind ever since Munich. You guys know I went to Munich right? I think I mentioned it in my Christmas Linzer Cookies post. See, while we wandered around an adorable medieval-themed market, the three of us were lured over to a little hut full of different candied nuts. And when I say we were lured over, I mean that literally. The man in the hut extended an extremely long wooden spoon in our direction with three delicious almonds covered in a cinnamon sugar layer that quite literally lured us to the hut. It wasn’t as creepy as you’re imagining, I swear.
how to
These almonds. They take, at the very most, 15 minutes of active time. An hour of low ‘n slow baking, and then about 10 minutes cooling time. (If you’re wondering: I made the nuts & then brought the tray they were cooling on back to the couch with me. Sometimes, my smartness astounds even me.) The end result is pure deliciousness. You have almonds that have been coated in a simple mixture of sugar, water, cinnamon, salt, and an egg white. That’s it – unless you add the vanilla extract like I did because wow. They’re crunchy, they’re Christmas-y, they’re healthy-ish, they’re simple, and they’re versatile. Best of all, they would be awesome packaged up in cute little jars as a nice Christmas present! You are so welcome.
cinnamon sugared almonds
Almonds, coated in a cinnamon spiced crunchy exterior – is there a smell more reminiscent of European Christmas markets?
Author: Passionate Baker
ingredients
110 g light brown sugar
100 g caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp water
1 large egg white
2 tsp vanilla extract *optional
600 g raw almonds
directions
Preheat oven to 120C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, caster sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, use an electric whisk to combine the egg white, water and vanilla until very frothy. I whipped mine until semi-stiff peaks formed.
Add the almonds to the frothy egg mixture and use a spatula to ensure an even coating.
Add sugar mixture to almonds and toss again with spatula to evenly coat. Spread mixture into an even layer on prepared baking sheet and bake in preheated oven, tossing every 15 minutes (three times throughout baking), for 60 minutes total.
The nuts are kind of a pain to toss the first time – the mixture is very sticky – but it gets easier every time! It's important to make sure to toss every single nut.
Let cool, then store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!
**POST UPDATED DECEMBER 2020**
