I tossed together a quick salad for some friends awhile back, and they were raving about how delicious it was. I thought, well, thank you, but please don’t go out of your way because it seriously took me like ten minutes. But what did it for them was the Candied Almond Slices.
These little almonds can kind of take any salad over the top, in my opinion. They asked me how to make ’em. I thought, I dunno, I just throw some in a pan with some sugar and fry ’em up. And folks, it’s really that easy. But I thought it might be worth sharing because there are a few different techniques to mix it up. For example, sometimes I use brown sugar, sometimes white. Sometimes I add a little butter for chewiness, sometimes a splash of vanilla. You really can’t mess ’em up unless you seriously don’t stir them at all and let the sugar burn. Then okay, that’s probably gonna be a little stinky and a little messy to clean up.
I get a lot of inspiration for my salads from Cafe Zupas and Kneaders – two locally started chains that are beginning to spread like wildfire – because they are amazing! I would have to say a couple favorites where I would definitely use these candied almond slices are the Nuts About Berries from Zupas and the Chicken ala Mondo from Kneaders. Mmmmmm. So hungry….. Is it bad to have salad cravings at 11 pm?
Candied Almond Slices
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond slices
- 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar or white granulated sugar
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
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Add almonds, sugar, and cinnamon to a medium pan.
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Toast over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly.
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You can tell that the almonds are done when you start to smell a toasted nut flavor and the sugar melts completely, coating the nuts.
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Spread nuts out on waxed paper to cool.
Recipe Notes
Dress It Up:
For a more chewy coating, melt a small slice of butter in pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.
For a little more flavor, throw a splash of vanilla into pan with other ingredients.
Notes:
Brown sugar also results in a chewier almond with a little richer flavor. However, equally good is granulated sugar which gives a fine, crunchy coating.
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You are my heroines. I did NOT want to spend 1 hour and 15 mins making caramelized almond slivers using 6 tbsp of sugar. You ladies rock!!
Aww I’m so glad you liked them Carice!
None of the candy stuck to the nuts. I ended up with almond slivers and little balls of sugar!
I’m sorry that happened Jackie. Did you happen to add butter? ((I do make these with butter, but it needs very little). What type of pan? I’ve never had this problem and I make these quite a bit. The only thing I can think of is that if there was too much greasiness or moisture, the sugar would have a harder time sticking. I’m in a dry climate about 5000 ft above sea level. If you are in a more humid climate, then I would think no butter for sure and make sure everything is as dry as possible. Also, we have a version for candied almonds in the oven (using whole almonds, but you should be able to use slices as well) where you use foamy egg whites to help the sugar/spices adhere. You could try that here, although I’ve never actually made them that way on the stove top.
Update: After testing this recipe again multiple times, I’ve come to the conclusion that the sugar simply didn’t hit the melting point yet. So if this happens to you, don’t give up! You are close! Also, for slightly different results – stirring constantly gives you some of those little sugar ball crunchies sticking to the nuts as well as the caramelized goodness. Stirring occasionally will result in smoother more caramelized finish throughout. I love both ways!
Thanks, this was helpful! I persevered and it paid off hah!
A friend just had a yummy dessert in a candied almond bowl. I think I will try it! I’ll let you know!
Let us know for sure! The are so easy!
This was as easy as you said, and came out perfect. I used a tiny bit of butter in the pan, splash of vanilla and stirred the whole time to keep the butter moving throughout the almonds. When it was finished I tasted it and it was great.. but myself being a lover of all things salty I had to shake on some salt while it was still warm. For my taste buds I loved the salt on it and would always do that. Like I said, I love salt. When I make a pecan pie I even toast and salt them before I put them into the pie…it sounds weird, I know, but try it sometime. Anyway, I always wondered how to make this kind of candied nut and the way you said works perfectly! And so easy, too…love it! Ps. I used this as a topping for sour cream cherry pie with vanilla bean ice cream and vanilla almond whipped cream…it was perfection as a pie topping but it was hard to not eat it all before the pie was done. Thank you Christina for this fantastic recipe!
Didn’t work at all. Same as the person above. Almonds didn’t carmelize and sugar formed balls. Used dry pan
Kate, Oh man, I hate it when I hear a recipe didn’t work. So, I literally made this like 10 times in a row to try to get your results, dry pan, butter in pan, different temperatures of pan, no stirring, stirring vigorously…… I think the problem you’re having is it has not quite hit the sugar melting point. You are so close! Literally just another 30-60 seconds and those little balls will melt and create the yummy deliciousness. I am going to alter some of the instructions to help make it a little more clear, and you also don’t need to stir continuously, although doing so won’t really matter either.
Jeanne – so glad that you liked this! And yes, a splash of vanilla and finishing off with salt….you are speaking my love language! Sounds like a great variation to the simple version.
I found a recipe for candied sliced almonds years ago. It was a garnish for whipped cream, on Thanksgiving pie. I’ve been making these for 20 years. The recipe I use, says to toast the almonds first on the stovetop, then add granulated sugar and stir until sugar is melted. Remove from heat. Immediately spread on parchment paper. Cool. When cool break into pieces. Works every time for me. I use an 8” cast iron pan.
Did not like this recipe. It’s not that difficult. I did what your recipe calls for and then I did butter with brown sugar and a saucepan added the almond slices and laid it out on a cookie sheet. It’s almost like almond brittle. So much better than this recipe.