Make your own roasted almonds

2024-12-18 2 minute read

In recent years, homemade roasted almonds have become a standard treat in the run-up to Christmas. They taste much better than at the Christmas market, also thanks to the higher almond content. But beware, a skilled hand with plenty of stamina is required.

Conventional granulated sugar melts at around 140 °C and begins to caramelize between 150 and 180 °C. Above 200 °C, it decomposes into black charcoal and water. Above 200 °C, it decomposes into black charcoal and water. The almonds are then inedible and must be disposed of. This is why the almonds have to be turned almost all the time during preparation, and for several minutes at a time.

Ingredients

200 g almonds
150 g sugar
8 g (1 sachet) vanilla sugar
3 g cinnamon
50-100 ml water

I usually use double the amount so that the tin fills up more quickly. The ratio of sugar and cinnamon to almonds is of course a matter of taste. The amount of sugar given tends to be a little less than in other recipes you find on the internet. In my experience, the more cinnamon the better.

Preparation

Place the sugar and cinnamon in an uncoated pan. Add a little water and stir. Set the hot plate to approx. 70%. As soon as the water boils, add the almonds. Keep stirring the almonds. At some point, the water will have evaporated and the sugar crystals will become visible again. Now the crucial phase begins. The almonds must now be turned constantly, the best way to do this is with a wooden scraper. The sugar slowly liquefies on the bottom of the pan. Be careful not to let it get too hot, however, so it is important that the almonds are always in motion. If necessary, turn the hot plate down a little. If the sugar liquefies too much, the pan can also be briefly removed from the heat. If smoke forms, the pan is clearly too hot and the almonds are in danger of becoming inedible. After 5-10 minutes, when no or only a few sugar crystals are visible and most of the almonds are sticking to the pan, they can be removed from the heat and placed on a baking tray with baking paper to cool. It is advisable to keep moving the almonds, otherwise they will stick together.

Tip: The remains of the caramelized sugar come off the pan and scraper very easily with hot water. Hot water from the tap is sufficient.