When roasted, almonds take on a totally new dynamic in flavor and texture. The rich, buttery nature of the uncooked almond makes it well suited to the addition of different spices and sugar, and when roasted, even plain, the nut takes on a new dimension.  My Roasted Candied Almonds recipe is extremely versatile and the spices used can be changed to suit many different situations.

After roasting, I like to separate the almonds in two. The first half will be coated in cocoa powder to add a chocolate dimension and the second will be dusted in powdered sugar. It’s important to do this while the almonds are still hot from the oven so that the cocoa and powdered sugar stick to them well.

Here’s my Roasted Candied Almonds recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lbs  Almonds, whole uncooked
• 1 Egg white
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Sugar
• 3 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tablespoon Nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

-Combine egg white and salt and whisk briefly, let sit for two minutes. The salt will help break down the egg white and make it runny.

-Combine the egg white and pecans and toss to coat evenly.

-Strain the pecans to remove excess egg whites

-Combine all the sugar and spices and sprinkle over the moist pecans.

-Stir this mixture so that all pecans are evenly coated

-Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet a spread the nuts out on top of it.

-Place in a 350F oven for 15 minutes, remove from oven and stir nuts, spread the nuts out evenly and return to oven for an additional 8 minutes.

-Remove from the oven, while still hot, split the nuts into two batches, add powdered sugar to one batch and cocoa powder to the second

-Stir nuts to completely coat