These Honey Cinnamon Candied Almonds are a new addition to my holiday baking list. Roasted almonds cooked in a sweet honey syrup and coated in cinnamon sugar make a perfect holiday snack! I bet you won't be able to eat just one!
The holiday season is in full swing. The tree is up, the stockings are hung and the delivery guy is at my house almost daily. As we get closer to Christmas I tend to turn my attention toward more important things: Christmas treats. Even if you aren't a big baker the rest of the year, the holiday season seems to bring out the baker, or at least taste tester, in all of us.
Candying the Almonds
First step is roasting the almonds. Roasting almonds gives them so much more flavor and helps them keep their crunch! To do this, place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 325 for 10 minutes.
The syrup that will be used to candy the nuts only requires two ingredients, honey and butter. What could be bad? In a saucepan melt butter and add in honey. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add in roasted almonds and continue to boil for 3 minutes. The syrup will continue to get thicker and coat the almonds.
Spread the candied almonds onto a piece of parchment paper and break apart as much as you can for now. They will be very hot! Let the nuts cool for 15 minutes before moving onto coating them with the cinnamon sugar.
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
While the almonds are cooling, mix up the sweet mixture that will coat the nuts. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and mix well. When almonds are cooled enough to handle easily with your fingers, sprinkle about half the cinnamon sugar mixture over them. Using your hands, toss the nuts to coat them well. Repeat with the rest of the sugar mixture and coat the almonds thoroughly while also breaking them apart.
Allow the Honey Cinnamon Candied Almonds to fully cool and dry on the parchment paper for at least an hour. Even longer would be fine. You want the nuts to dry out as much as possible before packaging them to prevent them from clumping too much.
Store in an airtight container or plastic bag and keep at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about a week. I would not recommend putting these candied almonds in the refrigerator as the sugar coating could turn soggy.
Homemade Gifts
Homemade gifts are some of my favorite to give and to receive. I love being able to put some extra thought and care into making something for someone. Remember, it doesn't have to be expensive. Fill a mason jar with these Honey Cinnamon Candied Almonds, tie a festive ribbon around it and you have a homemade, delicious gift for someone. You could also attach a tag with the recipe so they could make their own!
Honey Cinnamon Candied Almonds
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole almonds raw
- 1 cup honey
- 4 tbsp. butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Spread out almonds in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add honey, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in almonds and cook another 3 minutes. Stirring often. Remove from heat and spread out onto a piece of parchment. Try to separate nuts as much as you can. Allow to cool until you can handle with your fingers, about 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl mix together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of mixture generously over almonds and toss using your fingers. Repeat with the rest of the sugar-cinnamon mixture and continue to toss and separate almonds.
- Allow to fully cool and dry on the parchment for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container or bag.
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