Sugar Coated Almonds

I've been reading other food blogs and feel that I should be waxing poetic right here about some life affirming event associated with this food and how I developed this recipe in my fairy tale kitchen with a perfect and supportive prince charming waiting in the wings just to ride his trusty steed to the organic farmers market to get some rare ingredient with untold nutritional benefits, so we could eat it with our artists friends under starry skies while sharing urbane conversation...

The truth is: I found this recipe. I made it from everyday ingredients in my everyday kitchen. I liked it and thought you might like it, too.  The end. :)

I've made this recipe with both almonds and pecans and both are delicious. I'm giving you two recipes--one in the oven and one stove top. The stove top method is faster total time, but I prefer the texture and easier clean-up of the oven recipe.  The recipes both call for a greased cookie sheet--I like using Reynolds Non-Stick Foil for an even faster clean-up. (Have I mentioned that I like easy clean-up?)

Sugar Coated Pecans-OVEN METHOD

1 egg white
1 Tbsp water
1 lb whole almonds (3 cups)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 250'F. Grease one baking sheet.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy.  In a gallon-size Ziplock bag, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Add almonds to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly.  Remove the nuts and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated.  Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake at 250'F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Yield: approx 5 cups


Sugar Coated Pecans--STOVE TOP METHOD

1 cup almonds
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup water

1. Prepare a greased cookie sheet.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large skillet and bring to a boil over med-hi heat.
3. Keep at a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar begins to crystallize (approx 10-15 minutes).
4. Spread on prepared cookie sheet, quickly separating them.
5. Let cool and break into pieces if necessary.

Yield: approx 2.5 cups