Spiced Candied Almonds

If you enjoy making food from scratch, you will love these 3-minute candied almonds that beat store-bought ones. Because they barely take any time to prepare, I make a double batch, keep one for myself (seriously, just for me), and I place the rest in pretty jars and hand them out to my lovely neighbors before Christmas.

When you have friends or family over, fill a bowl with these nuts and leave it on the table. I guarantee they will disappear in minutes! If you prefer pecans, or even walnuts, just swap the almonds with your favorite nut!

Here's what you need:

2 cups raw almonds (NOT toasted or salted or blanched)

1 egg white

50g soft brown sugar

50g granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 120 degrees celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spray with nonstick spray, or leave it alone. The almonds will stick without nonstick spray, but as you are flipping and tossing every 15 minutes, this won't be a problem.

Mix your dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat the egg white in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, or with a handheld mixer just until foamy but still fluid (before soft peak stage).

Toss the almonds in the egg whites, then add the dry ingredients, and mix it all up. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for one hour, tossing the nuts around every 15 minutes or so. Test at the end of the hour. If they are not crisp enough for you, bake for another 15 minutes.

This delicious treat keeps in an airtight jar for two weeks.

Bon appetite!