This is a sweet and tasty snack that everyone knows from the Christmas market – Roasted (Candied) Almonds are very popular here in Germany. A little bag of these almonds can be quite expensive at the Christmas market, though. Well, why not make them from scratch at home? It’s an easy task and the result is equally delicious. No need to spend your hard-earned money on a Christmas market ;P
Roasted/Candied almonds are a simple snack you can easily make at home. If you like to eat these sweet nuts during the Advent season, you don’t have to go to a Christmas market to get a bag of nuts. If you got a saucepan, a wooden spoon, and a baking sheet (or simply some baking parchment) at home, you got all you need. Well, plus the ingredients, of course. But that’s not much more. Almonds, sugar, water, and something to add some flavor.
I made roasted/candied almonds at home for the first time quite early on, when I was a teenager. I was a bit scared at first because of the hot sugar, but it honestly couldn’t be easier. Some recipes will tell you that it can be difficult to work with caramel, but it’s actually not…
Homemade roasted/candied almonds are easy to do. There is only one thing you have to keep in mind when preparing the almonds… when you think you’re done, you are actually only halfway through the whole process ;P
You have to let the almonds boil in the water-sugar mixture until the water gradually boils away. When most of the water is gone, it looks like, the almonds are ready. They look shiny, as if they were coated with caramel… but no. It’s still just wet sugar, not caramel! ;P You just have to keep stirring until the water has completely evaporated and everything looks rough and crumbly. You can see that in one of the pictures below. If you keep stirring and cooking everything for a little longer, the sugar will eventually caramelize. From here, you can decide how thickly the almonds should be coated with caramel or whether you want to keep a little of the rougher sugar crust…
That’s it. Not that complicated, right? Transfer the nuts to a baking sheet (lined with baking parchment) and spread them out. A few minutes later, you can enjoy the first crunchy caramelized nuts ;P
We like to use a little vanilla extract and ground cinnamon for the almonds. If you don’t have vanilla extract at hand, you can use vanilla sugar instead… or leave it out altogether. The almonds are also very delicious with a bit of cinnamon alone.
If you made these roasted/candied almonds at home, you will be able to even make candied apples at home. Instead of the almonds, you just have to add whole apples to the saucepan. Just kidding! Making candied apples is a different process. You need a lot of caramel (really a lot), and then you dip the apples in it… but it’s also not really that complicated ;P
Of course, there are many more specialities at Christmas markets that are very popular with visitors of all ages. Roasted/Candied almonds are perhaps something children prefer – the popular German Handbrot with Bacon & Cheese or Grünkohl with Pinkel aka. Kale with Smoked Knockwurst are probably more suitable for the adults. If you don’t want to queue in the cold, you can easily prepare all of that at home…
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(3 servings)
7 oz. (200g) almonds (skins on)
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
3.5 oz. (100ml) water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
(3 Portionen)
200g Mandeln
150g Zucker
100ml Wasser
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
1/2 TL Zimt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Mix sugar, water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a not too big (stainless steel) saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook over high heat, stirring constantly (with a simple wooden spoon), until the liquid in the saucepan has boiled away, and the sugar looks dry again. Do not stop here. Keep stirring until the sugar starts to melt and caramelize. The almonds are perfect when they are partially shiny, but you can also see the slightly rougher sugar layer here and there. To ensure nothing burns, lift the saucepan off the stove from time to time while stirring and continue stirring until the perfect consistency is achieved.
3. Transfer the almonds to the prepared baking sheet and spread them out with the wooden spoon. If the almonds stick together a little here and there – that’s ok. They should not cool down as a big block/pile on the tray. You can store the cooled almonds in paper bags or glass jars with lids for up to 3 days.
Tip: Don’t worry if the caramel has hardened in the pot, it’s easy to remove. Simply fill the slightly cooled pot to the brim with water and leave to stand for a while. The sugar will dissolve by itself and the pot will be super easy to clean!
1. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen.
2. Zucker, Wasser, Vanille Extrakt und Zimt in einem nicht zu großen (Edelstahl-) Topf verrühren und dann aufkochen lassen. Die Mandeln dazugeben und unter ständigem Rühren (mit einem einfachen Holzkochlöffel) bei höchster Hitzezufuhr so lange kochen/blubbern lassen, bis die Flüssigkeit im Topf verkocht ist und der Zucker wieder trocken aussieht. Hier jetzt nicht aufhören, sondern weiter rühren, bis der Zucker anfängt zu karamellisieren. Die Mandeln sind perfekt, wenn sie teilweise glänzen, man aber auch hier und da die etwas rauere Zuckerschicht sehen kann. Damit nichts anbrennt, kann man den Topf beim Rühren immer wieder mal von der Herdplatte ziehen und weiter rühren, bis die perfekte Konsistenz erreicht ist.
3. Die Mandeln auf das vorbereitete Blech schütten und mit dem Kochlöffel verteilen. Wenn die Mandeln hier und da ein wenig zusammenkleben, dann ist das ok – sie sollten allerdings nicht als Klotz auf dem Blech abkühlen. Die abgekühlten Mandeln in Papiertüten oder Schraubgläsern bis zu 3 Tage aufbewahren.
Tipp: Keine Angst vor dem fest gewordenen Karamell im Topf – das bekommt man leicht raus. Den leicht abgekühlten Topf einfach bis zum Rand mit Wasser füllen und einige Zeit stehen lassen. Der Zucker wird sich von selbst auflösen und der Topf lässt sich dann super einfach reinigen!
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Homemade Roasted (Candied) Almonds
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:05
- Total Time: 00:20
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A very popular snack on German Christmas markets in winter – Roasted (Candied) Almonds. Delicious and homemade! Everybody loves them!
Ingredients
7 oz. (200g) almonds (skins on)
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
3.5 oz. (100ml) water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Mix sugar, water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a not too big (stainless steel) saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook over high heat, stirring constantly (with a simple wooden spoon), until the liquid in the saucepan has boiled away, and the sugar looks dry again. Do not stop here. Keep stirring until the sugar starts to melt and caramelize. The almonds are perfect when they are partially shiny, but you can also see the slightly rougher sugar layer here and there. To ensure nothing burns, lift the saucepan off the stove from time to time while stirring and continue stirring until the perfect consistency is achieved.
3. Transfer the almonds to the prepared baking sheet and spread them out with the wooden spoon. If the almonds stick together a little here and there – that’s ok. They should not cool down as a big block/pile on the tray. You can store the cooled almonds in paper bags or glass jars with lids for up to 3 days.
Notes
Don’t worry if the caramel has hardened in the pot, it’s easy to remove. Simply fill the slightly cooled pot to the brim with water and leave to stand for a while. The sugar will dissolve by itself and the pot will be super easy to clean!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
