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These German Candied Almonds Are Sweet and Delicious!
Searching for the perfect addition to your holiday snacking game? German candied almonds – or Gebrannte Mandeln in German – are for you!
Made from fresh almonds, sugars, and fragrant spices like cinnamon, our German candied almond recipe is so easy to follow.
These candied almonds are actually a pretty versatile recipe to make. Sure, candied candied almonds are great around the holidays (with cinnamon and vanilla filling your kitchen).
But they also make a great sugary, snack-size treat for movie night during the rest of the year.
You might find candied almonds called German roasted almonds. To be fair, these almonds aren’t roasted at all – it’s the candied sugar coating that gives them their coloring.
Gebrannte Mandeln literally translates to “burnt almonds” but it’s just a way of saying that they are coated in sugar.
Looking for more holiday treats? Try our cinnamon stars, rum balls, mulled wine (we also have a mulled white wine), and vanilla crescent cookies!
Sugared almonds are a classic German Christmas market recipe. We’ve had them in Germany countless times where they scoop them into a paper cone and off you go snacking as you wander through!
If you want to make candied almonds, you can follow the recipe card below and have a look at the process photos. This way, you have an idea of what the various steps might look like!
Add water, sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon into a large – still cold – pan on the stove. Turn on the stove to medium heat and stir the ingredients consistently.
Your mixture will get brown and look similar to the photo above. Once the sugar mixture is bubbling you can add the almonds.
Turn down the heat slightly and keep the mixture simmering until the water evaporates. This will take around 6-8 minutes. Stir the almonds regularly.
As you can see in the photo above, the sugar mixture will begin to thicken as the water evaporates. Keep stirring!
Eventually, all the water will have evaporated. Once the almonds begin to really stick together and stack on top of one another you are pretty much done.
Remove the almonds from the pan and spread them out on parchment paper. Some of the almonds might stick together slightly. You can gently separate them with a fork. Let the almonds rest until they have cooled sufficiently.
In our opinion, German candied almonds taste best when they are fresh. However, you can store them in a container with a lid for around 4-5 days if you made too many. Just know that they might not be as crispy as the first day.
Enjoy our German candied almond recipe and bring some Christmas market atmosphere into your home!
German Candied Almonds (Gebrannte Mandeln)
Sweet and cinnamony, these German candied almonds are the perfect treat. With fresh almonds coated in a perfect blend of sugar and spices, these almonds are a great addition to a holiday snack table… or just great to eat on your own!
Add water, sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon to a large pan. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon and heat up the ingredients on your stovetop on medium heat. Keep stirring consistently.
When the mixture is boiling (and bubbling), add the almonds. Turn the heat down slightly and keep the mixture simmering until the water evaporates and the sugar gets brown (around 6-8 minutes). Keep stirring the almonds around.
Once all the water has evaporated and the almonds are coated in the sugar mixture, remove the almonds from the pan and place them on some parchment paper to let them cool. Separate almonds that got stuck together with a fork before you let them cool.
Notes
Keep an eye on your stovetop temperature – if it’s too hot, the sugar might not only brown but start to burn in the pan.
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
Again, you likely didn't bake the almonds for long enough. The almonds will also be slightly soft when they're still warm, so if you've sampled them before they've cooled completely to room temperature wait a little longer before eating them.
These should keep for a week or two if stored in an air-tight container. The candied nuts will not really go bad, but they may absorb moisture from the air, making the sugar go sticky and soften.
To get the spices to stick to the nuts, use egg whites, butter, coconut oil, olive oil or blanch the nuts in boiling water. Some recipes call for nuts to be fried in oil prior to seasoning, but this adds unnecessary fat – you can make them just a delicious without all the extra calories.
Jordan almonds, also known as sugared almonds, dragées or confetti are sugar-coated almond candies. Jordan almonds come in numerous colors, shapes and flavors. People include these sweet treats in their weddings to represent various meanings from the Italian and Greek cultures.
Sometimes almonds were sugar coated and highly prized for their medicinal value. In the 15th century, Jordan almonds were eventually popularized in Sulmona, Italy. They were still referred to as dragées, but rather than for medicinal purposes, they existed only as a sweet treat.
The Number and the Colors. If you want to be faithful to wedding traditions, the sugared almond wedding favours for each of the guests must contain five almonds representing each of the couple's wishes: love, health, happiness, fertility, and long life together.
If the nuts or candy coating seem 'stringy' or too soft after cooling, just pop them onto your cookie sheet & place them in the oven at 325 degrees (f), stirring gently until they crisp up.
The candied nuts most likely didn't cook long enough on the stovetop. Sugar has to reach a certain temperature to achieve that brittle, candy coating state. Transfer parchment-lined baking sheet to 325ºF oven (do not put wax paper in the oven) and bake for 5-15 minutes, or until they are less sticky.
Nuts are full of unsaturated fats, which makes them nutritious and delicious, but that also means they become rancid quickly in warm light-and-oxygen-filled environments. You've definitely eaten a rancid nut.
Keep your candied pecans away from sources of heat and moisture. This means avoiding storing them near your stove, dishwasher, or even on top of your refrigerator. Instead, store them in a cool pantry or cupboard.
Several health reports recommend, a daily serving of about 1 ounce or 30 grams, which translates to roughly 23 almonds, is recommended for adults. This amount is enough to provide a healthy dose of nutrients without overdoing it on calories.
As a result, the nuts go rancid or spoil—but they don't necessarily expire. Typically, the packaging of nuts lists a "best by" date, which indicates when the nuts will have the best quality. Beyond that date, they're more likely to go bad.
Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium heat.Toast the nuts for five minutes, or until they begin to colour. At this point, you can stop and serve them as they are, or you can flavour them with a variety of toppings.
Soaked almonds will be softer than raw almonds. If you prefer a crunchier texture but still want to soak your almonds, you can roast them in the oven after soaking.
In terms of texture, stale nuts tend to feel softer and lose their trademark crunch when stale. Lastly, rancid nuts taste just like how they smell – sour and bitter. At this point, it is not recommended to consume stale nuts as the oxidation has caused the nuts to lose their beneficial properties.
Just toasting them in a dry pan or oven should be enough to revive them, but they'll also go in any recipe that requires nuts. We got through most of ours by toasting them with spices, to eat as nibbles or to add crunch to soups, stews and salads.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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