Sugar Almonds, Cinnamon Style

This time of year I look forward to a handful (or two) of these cinnamon sugar almonds.

When I was a kid, every holiday season little stands named Almond Haus would pop up in the aisles at our local mall. I would scrounge up the money only so I could buy a warm bag of those sugary crunchy almonds and eat the whole thing on the spot.

A few years ago, I brought a small bag of these into work to let my good friend Ann try them (she of course loved them!) and then my friend Jacqueline who’s from Germany tried them too. After she popped one into her mouth, she looked at me and said “these remind me of Germany” if that wasn’t the dependable reaction. I knew this method was a keeper.

To Make these Cinnamon Sugar Almonds Gather:

• almonds
• sugar
• cinnamon
• an egg white
• vanilla
• kosher salt

First things first, preheat your oven to 300°.

Then in a large bowl, measure and add 3 tablespoons of ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt to 1-1/2 cups of sugar. Whisk the two together until combined and then set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Then measure and add in the pure vanilla extract, whisking to combine.

Add the almonds to the egg white mixture and toss well to coat the almonds.

Now simply add all of the almonds into the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Try not to get any excess egg whites in the cinnamon sugar bowl.

Continue to stir and stir and stir until every almond is generously coated!

When I get to the bottom of the bowl, I use a slotted spoon to shake the extra sugar/cinnamon away before adding the final cinnamon sugar almonds to the pan.

Spread them out on the lined baking sheet and slide the pan onto the middle rack of your preheated 300° oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes of baking is up take them out of the oven, toss and then in for another 10 minutes.

Lastly, remove and toss the almonds again, then place back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Let the cinnamon sugar almonds cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

I like mine slightly warm and crunchy. These cinnamon sugar almonds taste simply like I remember the Almond Haus almonds I would get at the mall.

These almonds should come with a warning: Highly Addictive.

Enjoy! And if you give this Cinnamon Sugar Almonds recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!