These Cinnamon Sugared Almonds are an amazing holiday treat to make and give away as gifts to friends, teachers or just to have around the house during the holidays!
Who can resist the sweet aroma of cinnamon sugared almonds? They seem to pop up more around the holidays or any fair/carnival/event to which we go. It’s almost impossible to avoid buying them. Thankfully they aren’t sold everywhere, besides the fact that it’s easy to eat WAY too many of them at a time (thus lots and lots of calories), and they aren’t cheap! But again . . . everything in MODERATION! Now that two out of my three kids eat nuts, one bag doesn’t last long, so then we want to buy two . . . but wait, if it’s the Renaissance Festival which we visited this past fall, it’s a better deal to buy THREE. And that’s how you eat too many . . .
Anyway, I was a little intimated when I first decided to make these, but was pleasantly surprised that it was fairly easy and needless to say I was thrilled when they turned out (and so was my husband!)
First combine all the ingredients except for the almonds, then add the mixture to a large heated skillet. Once the sugar dissolves, add the almonds to the pan.
Stir the almonds often over the heat until the sugar crystallizes (about 8-10 minutes). You will know it is done when there is no more liquid in the pan and the almonds are coated with a sand-like texture.
Spread them out on parchment paper and let them cool. Voilà! You’re done!
Nutritional Tidbits
Almonds can help lower your bad (LDL) cholesterol, and reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes. They contain healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats and are an excellent source of vitamin E (an antioxidant).
Although almonds contain great health benefits they are still calorically dense. The serving size for most nuts is only a ¼ cup. That’s about the size of a golf ball — not too big! Generally, I am not a fan of the ridiculously small serving sizes you find on many products. They can be deceiving since they are rarely what we normally would eat, but since nuts are calorically dense, we’ll stick with ¼ cup serving.
These are a great snack to bring to a holiday party or to have on-hand when friends stop by. My husband personally enjoys eating these candied almonds while sipping his morning coffee.
Also, keep this recipe in mind as an easy and affordable gift idea for neighbors, friends or teachers!
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
15 minPrep Time
15 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 cups almonds
- ¼ cup evaporated milk (2%)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine milk, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla and water in a large bowl. Mix until combined.
- In a large skillet, heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often.
- Once sugar dissolves, add almonds. Continue stirring mixture until sugar crystallizes (approximately 8-10 minutes). You will know it is done when you see a sand-like texture and no liquid remains.
- Cool on a cooking sheet covered with parchment paper.
This Cinnamon Sugared Almonds post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.
© 2014 Kristy Hegner Disclosure and Privacy Policy
rachelcooksblog
Tuesday 2nd of December 2014
These are one of my favorite things! Soooo good!