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Recipes · Snacks & breakfast

Candied Cinnamon Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)

AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested

Candied almonds work if you do not mistake the sandy white stage for a failure: the sugar first crystallizes and then melts into caramel, and only then do the almonds turn glossy. Stop only when all the almonds are evenly coated and brown.

  • Serves 8
  • Prep 5 min
  • Cook 22 min
  • Rest 20 min
  • Total 47 min
  • medium
Candied Cinnamon Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)
AI-generated image

This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

Ingredients

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  • 250 g (8.8 oz) whole almonds skin-on
  • 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch salt

Method

  1. Line a baking sheet or a heatproof work surface with parchment paper and set out two forks. Keep children out of the kitchen: molten sugar is far hotter than boiling water.
  2. Bring the sugar, water, cinnamon and salt to a boil in a wide pan (about 11 inches / 28 cm across) over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the almonds.
  3. Keep the heat at medium, not on the highest setting, and stir constantly with a long wooden spoon. The water evaporates; after about 8 to 12 minutes the syrup thickens and the sugar crystallizes. The almonds then look white and sandy.
  4. Keep stirring over medium heat for another 5 to 8 minutes. The sugar crystals melt again and turn into golden-brown caramel that coats the almonds. As soon as all the almonds are evenly brown and glossy, take the pan off the heat, because darker caramel tastes bitter.
  5. Tip the almonds onto the parchment immediately and pull them apart with the two forks. Caution, risk of burns: the caramel is well above 300 °F (150 °C), sticks to skin and causes deep burns. Do not touch it with your fingers, do not taste it, and hold any splashes under cold water right away.
  6. Let the almonds cool for about 20 minutes, until the caramel is hard. Let the pan cool first and then fill it with hot water; the sugar dissolves on its own.

Tip: A pan with a light-colored bottom shows the color of the caramel better than a dark one. If the sugar stays white for a long time, the heat is too low; if it darkens in spots, lift the pan off the heat and keep stirring.

Tip: In an airtight tin, candied almonds keep at room temperature for about two weeks. Moisture makes the caramel sticky.