Almonds are totally the best nut.
They beat out peanuts, walnuts, pecans.
Really, the only nut that even comes close is the pistachio. I do love my pistachios.
We usually have a big ol’ bag of roasted, lightly-salted almonds (and, well, pistachios, for that matter) in our pantry for snacking.
Mmm…snacking.
And, not only are almonds delicious, they’re also high in protein and fiber and other useful nutrients.
So, I figure…why not throw some sugar at ’em, right?
Right.
I’m glad you’re with me on this one.
Now, I don’t have the best track record for roasting nuts. I tend to burn the dang things all the time.
There’s something about having to stay right by the oven and be ready at all times to toss them and to make sure they don’t burn that doesn’t jive well with me.
Those buggers can burn fast!
So, you can imagine my excitement when I realized I can make a sugared almonds recipe on the stove top. That sounded MUCH easier and right up my alley.
I like my easy allies.
If you’ve never made a sugared almonds recipe before, I recommend you use raw almonds as opposed to roasted almonds. While you wont get quite as much of a crunch with the raw almonds, they will have the best overall flavor and will release just the right amount of moisture to make this recipe work perfectly.
If you’re looking for that one-of-a-kind crunch, your best bet will be to actually roast them. But, let me remind you of this easy alley. And the tastiness.
Be warned, these sugared almonds are a-ddict-ing. Like SO addicting you wont be able to handle it.
You’ll think, “Okay, last bite” over and over and over again.
But it’s okay…’cuz they’re good for you, right?
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups raw almonds
- In a small bowl, combine, the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt and mix well.
- Heat the water over medium-high heat in a skillet or sauce pan.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the sugar mixture to the water and stir to combine.
- Once the mixture reaches a low boil, add the almonds and stir to coat evenly.
- Continue to cook on medium-high heat while the liquid cooks down and begins to thicken, approx. 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- As the liquid almost completely dries up, be sure to stir constantly. The liquid will turn into a flaky, sugary, crystallized coating.
- Once the nuts have the crystallized, coating, pour out evenly on the baking sheet and allow to cool.
followed recipe but the sugar did not crystalize. the sugar mixure remained a sticky coating on the almonds even though the mixture was nearly gone in the pan. So the batch cooled and dried on the baking sheet and looks like a soft version of peanut brittle.. It is very mseesy to brak apart into smaller chunks and I am Very disappointed in my efforts but glad I tried this receipe before making a bigger batch for holiday gifts
I just made these almonds and they came out perfectly. Very easy, look beautiful too. My husband love these to snack on.
I make these very year for Christmas gifts. I cook 1 lb at a time on top of stove in a large dutch oven type pot (wide bottom). I don’t add brown sugar but might try that. Once they crystallize, I keep stirring until the sugar starts to melt again – never stop stirring until the almonds are coated with a syrup that feels like satin and the nuts are shiny. Then, turn onto a baking sheet (lightly buttered) and separate as best you can. I sprinkle with colored nonpariels. When transferring to cookie pan, I have it sitting on the stove, next to the pot. I carefully tilt the pot and empty onto the cookie sheet. Run very hot water into the pot and the sticky mess melts away. Also, never use non stick pot or utensils. I use a wooden spoon. And, the mixture is very very hot – allow to cool, break apart and store in cookie tins. Don’t touch hot almonds!!
Do not cook on mediums high heat!! Burnt almonds are all that came from my attempt. Possibly because I have a gas stove. NOT sure.
Totally burned, didn’t crystallize at all and I followed the recipe to a T. I’ve been cooking for 20 years and never have problems when I follow recipes on Epicurious, FN, Martha Stewart. Always seem to run into problems when I follow recipes on random blogs though.
Tried it…cooked for 15 minutes stirring constantly. Never crystallized, just nicely coated.
love this snack too 🙂
I roast nuts in a 225 or 250 oven. Only way I can keep from burning them. I discovered that cinnamon does not need sugar. I roast my raw almonds coated in a small amount of coconut oil sprinkled with the tiniest bit of salt. This is one of the few times I use fine salt instead of kosher. When they are about 75% done, make sure they are all coated with the coconut oil and then sprinkle them with cinnamon until they are totally coated. Stir them around then sprinkle again. Put them back in the oven and turn the oven off. By the time the oven cools the almonds will be perfect.
Yes! I will totally try this, Margaret. Thank you 🙂