Depending on who you ask, these sugar and spice coated almonds are either called candied, caramelized, roasted or burnt sugar almonds. In German, they’re just Gebrannte Mandeln, which technically translates to “burnt almonds”. This sweet treat is a staple at most open air markets and fests in Germany, but especially popular at Christmas Markets. The smell of these candied almonds is like nothing else when you’re browsing the warmly lit stalls in the freezing night air. To me, they’re irresistible, especially when they come still warm from the copper kettles and are served in their iconic patterned paper bag cones.
Nowadays, you can get so many different flavours of candied almonds but the traditional version is glazed with just sugar and cinnamon. It never occurred to me that I could make these at home until I started coming across a few German candied almonds recipes on Pinterest. The process turns out to be deceptively simple but you do have to do a lot of stirring and watching to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn. I’ll admit that my first attempt did not go well. It resulted in a solid, dark brown clump of almonds that set off my smoke alarm. My poor pets were not happy with me. It was, however, a valuable lesson in exactly what the sugar to water ration needs to be to make this work, which is 2:1.
The candied almond recipe that caught my eye the most was this Gebrannte Mandeln recipe from the Kuechechaotin blog where she uses Lebkuchengewürz (German gingerbread spice mix) in lieu of cinnamon. Since decent Lebkuchen spice mixes are hard to find at a reasonable price in the States, I made some myself. There was every intention of adapting a Lebkuchengewürz mix based on the several recipes I tried out but I ended up liking the Daring Gourmet’s recipe so much that I just didn’t see the point. That’s the one I’ll be referencing in my recipe below. I’ve halved her recipe so I wouldn’t have a lot leftover and used ground anise seed instead of ground star anise.
Before I dive into recipe, I must point out this candied almond post from Grounded Traveler for his wonderful candied almonds stall photos from the Frankfurt Christmas Market last year. This’ll give you a good idea of just how many flavours of candied almonds there can be.
Gingerbread Candied Almonds
Update 12/23: Have made this recipe several more times after hearing it didn’t work out for some. I clarified the pan size, specified how much boil on liquid before adding almonds and added an extra minute to cook time.
(Lebkuchen Gebrannte Mandeln)
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups of Raw Almonds
- 1/2 cup of Water
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of Vanilla Sugar
- 2 teaspoons of Lebkuchen Spice
Lebkuchen Spice Blend:
- 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of Ground Cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon of Coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon of Cardamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Anise Seed
- 1/8 teaspoon of Ground Mace
- 1/8 teaspoon of Nutmeg
Equipment:
- A large Stainless steel pan (I use a 10″)
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheet
Tips:
For a more traditional version, you can sub cinnamon for the Lebkuchen spice.
Use a pan, NOT a pot. The deeper and more narrow the vessel, the longer it will take for the water to evaporate which will cause the sugar to burn.
I grind my own anise with a mortar and pestle and store it in a recycled glass spice jar. Mine was still from last Christmas and it’s held up well enough.
Ground Mace can be hard to find in grocery stores and if you do, it can be pretty darn expensive ($8.99 here). I ended up ordering this small container from Amazon for very reasonable $3.64 at the time of writing this post.
Shall we get to candying our almonds?
Mix together the sugar, vanilla sugar and spice blend and then add it along with the water your pan and stir together.
Bring the mixture to a nice boil on medium heat. We want to wait until the pretty much the whole surface is it covered with bubbles.
Pour in the almonds and stir frequently for 8 – 10 minutes.
We’re looking for the water to start evaporating. Within the last 2 minutes is when it starts looking like this. It’s right before the important “powder stage” of this process. It’s also where I start stirring continuously.
Here’s what it looks like when the water has evaporated. The mix has become very powdery, or granular, and even hard in some spots. It won’t be sticking that well to the almonds yet.
Keep stirring constantly!
The next step is for the sugar mix to start to melting again and slightly glazing the almonds. Keep a watchful eye here because it can start to burn quickly. Continue to stir continuously.
If this takes longer than 9 minutes for you, that’s okay. However, if there’s any whiff of burning sugar, take them off the heat immediately.
Knock the nuts out onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Immediately take two forks and separate any ones that are sticking together.
Let the freshly candied almonds cool for about 5 – 7 minutes and then enjoy!
These are so addicting. I dare you to try and eat just one.
In my household, I have to half the recipe and they don’t last a full day. If I make a full recipe, they also don’t last a full day, hence the portion control!
They really will make your house smell like a German Christmas market. I think it’s divine!
Frohe Weihnachten, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family to yours! <3
und Alles Liebe,
Diony
Gingerbread Candied Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Raw Almonds
- 1/2 cup of Water
- 1 cup of Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of Vanilla Sugar
- 2 teaspoons of Lebkuchen Spice
Lebkuchen Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of Ground Cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon of Coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon of Cardamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon of Ground Anise Seed
- 1/8 teaspoon of Ground Mace
- 1/8 teaspoon of Nutmeg
Equipment
- A large Stainless steel pan I use a 10"
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheet
Instructions
-
Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix sugar, vanilla sugar and Lebkuchen spice blend.
-
Add water and sugar mix to your pan. Set on medium heat to bring to a boil. We want bubbles over the entire surface before adding almonds. Once boiling, add almonds and stir frequently to evenly coat for 8 - 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, the water will have evaporated and sugar mix turned powdery. Stir continuously until the sugar mix starts to melt and glaze the almonds. Remove from heat and pour onto the parchment paper lined cookie sheet. With two forks, separate any almonds sticking together. Let cool for 5 - 7 minutes and then enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For a more traditional version, sub the Lebkuchen spice mix for 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
If you can't find ground anise seed, you can grind your own with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
Adapted from Kuechechaotin
I haven’t made these yet, but I’m so excited to surprise my German husband with a taste of the markets back home!
I’m looking forward to working my way through your recipes. Thank you!!
Finally tried these and the gebrannte Mandeln were delicious! The recipe is perfect! Thanks so much for this – it reminded me of my childhood in Germany!
Thank you and you’re welcome! I’m so glad they worked out for you.