Old Fashioned Candied Almonds Recipe
This is an easy, vintage classic recipe. Candied nuts are made on the stove with no fancy equipment. The result is crunchy, spiced and wonderfully old-fashioned and festive. They are ready to eat in less than an hour and last several days. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, and is excellent for end-of-year edible gifts and hosting.
Servings 3.5 cups
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon or a spice mix see Notes below
- 3 cups raw whole almonds
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat, and have a fork ready.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups sugar, ¾ cup water, and ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon or a spice mix. Heat over medium until sugar dissolves, stirring a few times.
- Stir in 3 cups raw whole almonds and continue to cook, stirring constantly. At first, the sugar syrup will look shiny and watery. After 8 to 10 minutes stirring constantly, it will begin to crystallize, turn dull and coat the almonds with a sandy texture. Keep stirring or you won't get the desired effect.
- Continue cooking for another 5–7 minutes, until the sugar melts again and turns golden brown, evenly coating the almonds. Keep stirring to prevent burning; you need to be patient and keep at it..
- Once caramelized, remove from heat immediately, quickly stir in 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and a ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, and quickly transfer the almonds to the prepared baking sheet and spread to separate them with a fork before they harden. If you don't do this, you'll mostly have clumps and not individual candied almonds.
- Let cool completely before eating. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Almonds: they are a star and key ingredient, so buy them raw or natural. I like non-pareil almonds as they're a great price-flavor combination. Marcona almonds are also wonderful, but more expensive. Of course, you can use another nut, like walnuts, peanuts (very vintage) or pecans.
Spice mix: you can use the festive gingerbread mix, pumpkin pie spices or apple pie spice mix. They all bring different flavors to the table.
