Roasted Cinnamon Vanilla Almonds

The holidays are my absolute favorite time of year.  I can’t get enough of the lights, music, cookies, food and treats.  I’m that person & I’m OK with it.  I look back on holidays from my past with such joy.  The memories that I have are just so special to me.  Everything about the season brings me such comfort.  Everything including roasted cinnamon vanilla almonds.

It’s the most wonderful snack of the year…

The smell of freshly roasted cinnamon vanilla almonds just screams holidays to me.  I remember as a young girl, our local mall used to have a vendor that would only be set up during the holidays.  They sold specialty food items: sausages, cheeses, crackers, condiments, chocolates, etc.  The vendor also always sold freshly roasted cinnamon almonds.  The aroma of the delicately sweet almonds floated through the air and you could smell them from across the entire mall.  We would always get a paper bag of them to take home and enjoy.  The almonds were so tasty and if we were lucky, they’d last until the next day. 

Now, I HAVE to buy them every time I’m out and smell roasted cinnamon vanilla almonds.  Ask my husband, I’m not exaggerating.  I get them every single time. About a decade ago, I decided that enough was enough. I needed to figure out a way to make these delicious toasty nuts at home. 

This particular recipe is very special to me because I have been making this recipe for myself, my family and friends ever since. These babies are the real deal!  The roasted cinnamon vanilla almonds are sweet from the candied sugar. They’re cozy and warm, all thanks to the cinnamon. They are delicately crunchy all due to the frothy egg white.  This recipe is easy to toss together. All you need is some time because they need to cook low and slow for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes. 

What you need:

You need a big bowl, a good reliable spatula, 2 large baking sheets, aluminum foil, nonstick cooking spray and time.  Just put on your favorite holiday movie, mix these up and have your timer handy to remind you to stir them every so often to prevent burning and create a nice crunch. 

If you plan on giving these away to loved ones, then maybe make more than one batch.  You will become addicted and if you’re anything like me, you will likely eat the entire batch all on your own.  Sorry, not sorry. Just remember to allow these to cool before touching or sampling them.  It will be tough, but it’s a lot easier than treating burns to your fingers/mouth.  Hot sugar burns, people!  Be patient – I promise it’ll be worth it! Once you make these, you will require roasted cinnamon vanilla almonds for many holidays to come.

These roasted cinnamon vanilla almonds are adapted from Kelsey Nixon’s Vanilla Almonds

Print