Burnt Sugar Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)

Let me start by telling you about how easy and great everyone else thinks this recipe is.  The reviews are madly good and other home cooks rave about how wonderful their almonds turned out.  

My first attempt at this recipe, however, ended, well, rather smokily.  I suppose I took the name too literally.  Once I noticed that half of my spatula was gone and that my almonds were suddenly, umm, black, I started over.  This entry is about the second, more experienced, and measurably more successful attempt.  Before we begin, though, some words to the wise from my failed attempt:

• Do not use a plastic spatula.  Common sense - I know.  I thought it might be ok, but the recipe is very sticky and the temperature just gets too hot for too long.
• Do not leave the pan's side.  Just stir until it's done.  Who knew?  This is the least independent food I've ever made.
• Do not use a non-stick pan to cook the almonds. Not sure precisely why, but that was a mistake.

Around Christmas in Germany, you can smell gebrannte Mandeln, or "burnt almonds" at every Christmas market.   Though it's certainly not as common in the U.S.A, I recently had some in New York and was reminded of how much I missed them.  And so, I went searching for a decent recipe and found they are all remarkably similar.  I like this recipe, but I'm sure that almost any one will do.

I also think it might be interesting to try this recipe with another herb or spice added to it for a more gourmet palette.  I could see it pairing well with a cinnamon stick, cardamom, powdered ginger, or rose or lavender oil.  Just don't use anything you'd have to fish out of the sticky mix later (like rosemary or bay).

I started by doubling this recipe and it went off without a hitch the second time.  I was getting a little worried after about 10 minutes of stirring, but everything went smoothly -- this time at least.  If you follow the recipe below, the mixture will stay rather very syrupy until about 15-20 minutes in, when it turns to sand almost instantly.  Just keep stirring.


Ingredients/Zutaten

200 grams whole almonds/Mandeln (ganz)
200 grams sugar/Zucker
100 mL Water/Wasser
1 packet vanilla sugar/Päckchen Vanillinzucker
Some cinnamon
Some butter

To make almonds/Zubereitung

Boil the cinnamon, sugar, vanilla sugar, and water.  Add the almonds and stir them under the mixture.  It will become frothy as it gets closer to being done.

Turn up the heat and stir constantly until the sugar mixture is dry and has a bulky, sandy texture.  Then turn the heat down to medium/medium-low and stir it until the sugar begins to melt again and the almonds start to shine.  

Shake the almonds out onto a no-stick baking pan and spread them around evenly.  In place of a no-stick baking plan, coat the pan in butter.

Zimt, Zucker, Vanillezucker und Wasser zum Kocken bringen, Mandeln zugeben und unter Rühren weiterkochen bis der Zucker trocken wird.  Dann weiterrühren bis der Zucker wieder leicht zu schmelzen beginnt und die Mandeln glänzen.  Ein Backblech mit Butter einfetten, Mandeln draufschütten, zerteilen und abkühlen lassen.

Adapted from Chefkoch.de.