Candied Sugared Almonds (German Gebrannte Mandeln)

BecR's Note:

Toasted whole almonds coated with a buttery vanilla glaze, and lightly dusted with cinnamon. I've also included a lovely rosewater variation. Reminiscent of the candied almonds served warm in cone shaped bags in the open air markets of Germany. Delicious! Makes a great foodie or hostess gift for the holidays.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 cups whole blanched almonds (if whole blanched almonds aren't available, substitute whole raw almonds with skins)
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt (to taste)
• cinnamon (optional)
• 1 tablespoon rose water (variation)

Directions:

1. In a large heavy skillet, heat almonds, sugar and butter over medium heat.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, until almonds are toasted and sugar is a golden brown, about 15 minutes. Watch them carefully, do not scorch.
3. Stir in vanilla.
4. Spread on buttered aluminum foil; sprinkle with salt and dust lightly with cinnamon, if using.
5. Cool and break into clusters.
6. VARIATION: For a nice variation, omit the salt and cinnamon, and replace vanilla extract with 1 tablespoon culinary rose water.
7. Store in an airtight container; freezes well. Give as gifts, wrapped in small cellophane bags tied with ribbon.

Reviews

[Metric Jester]

absolutely perfect recipe! First time I did this recipe as written (minus the cinnamon due to allergy) and they were very good. didn't last long either. Second time around I added a little bit of red pepper flakes during the melting process (1/4 to 1/2 tsp if I had to put numbers on it, I wasn't measuring) for that spicy kick the cinnamon might add. VERY good that way. Even better actually.

[hottmello]

I tried to make this recipe twice today. The first time I tried to follow the recipe exactly as written and the sugar mixture didn't stick to any of the almonds. I tried it again with a little more butter and some water and it was a little bit better, but still didn't turn out good enough to give to anyone. I was very disappointed and am not sure what went wrong.

[GuavaJelli]

Fantastic recipe for candied almonds! Made as written and mine were done after only 10 minutes or so...you must watch for when the sugar caramelizes but otherwise super easy! The family couldn't wait for them to cool down and tore into them straight away. There were some almonds with very little sugar and some nice chunks of the sugar/butter caramel but they balanced each other out. Also I liked that this didn't take 40 minutes in the oven like some other recipes. I'll try it with the rosewater and with other nuts next. Thanks!