Homemade Candied Almonds with a Dash of Sea Salt Recipe

I love candy in the fall.  Oh who am I kidding, I love candy all year round.  For me it is all about the sweet and salty…..and a little dark chocolate too.  These candy almonds are so easy to whip up and you can substitute the almonds with almost any nut.  If you have never made candy before be warned that this is not a kid friendly recipe for cooking.  It’s kid friendly for gobbling up but not for being near the stove top.  Melting sugar gets hot and hot fast so you must watch over the pan carefully.

I keep them simple with a sprinkle of sea salt.  But you can add so many different spices.  Last night on instagram a follower suggested tossing with bits of real bacon bits.  Ohhhhh that sounds delish and if I had bacon on hand I would have added it.  Other add-ins are cinnamon, garlic, cayenne pepper…it’s endless.

What you need:
2 cups of raw almonds
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
small palm-full of Sea Salt

Add the almonds, water and sugar to the pan. Turn the stove to med-high.

Keep a watchful eye and stir to keep the almonds rotating. Reduce heat if the sugar water begin to boil over.

The liquid will begin to thicken and it will boil.  Stir as needed.

Crystals will begin to form.

Once the almonds are covered in crystals.  Turn the heat down a tiny bit and stir.  You can use the spatula to break up the nuts if they begin to clump.

Keep cooking till they “candy up” – they will have a hard shiny coat.

Turn out on to parchment paper and sprinkle with Sea Salt.  Use the spatula to break any clusters.

Cool for an hour or so.

Store in an air tight container.  I don’t refrigerate.  They keep about 1 week…although they have never lasted that long…hehe.

Enjoy and share with your friends.

Don’t worry about the dirty sticky pan!  Give it a soak for 15 min and the cooked sugar will melt away.