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Cinnamon Almonds
Do you know those delicious cinnamon almonds at the mall? Well these are SO much better! And you can make them for about the same price you pay for one of those tiny bags. I LOVED the way this made my house smell! It seriously makes me want to make a batch daily. The brown sugar and cinnamon mixture gives an AMAZING flavor and the perfect crunchiness…. I almost think that the ones at the mall are a little too crunchy. And how perfect are these for gifts for the holidays? I feel like I have to spread the deliciousness of these and give them to all my friends and family!
These are super easy to throw together and let the slow cooker work it’s magic. You do have to stir the almonds every 20 min or so, so don’t set it and forget it. But it’ll be so worth it as you eat these cinnamony little devils. Be careful not to eat them all in one sitting, it’ll be tempting. Trust me.
Cinnamon and Sugar Almond Ingredients
Simple ingredients come together to make a easy treat! These are a MUST make!
- Sugar: White sugar
- Brown Sugar: Helps with caramelization and deep rich flavor.
- Salt: Balances out the sweet.
- Almonds: Raw unsalted plain almonds.
- Cinnamon: The star in the spice combo
- Egg White: Helps the cinnamon and sugar stick and creates crunch
- Vanilla: Flavor enhancer
- Water: Creates the caramelization at the end.
How to Make Cinnamon and Sugared Almonds
Despite it being the slow cooker you don’t want to necessarily walk away! It will need stirring.
- Mix: In a large bowl mix together the cinnamon, sugars and salt
- Whisk: In a separate bowl whisk the vanilla and egg white together till good and frothy.
- Stir: Pour the almonds into the egg white mixture and stir to coat thoroughly.
- Coat: Dump the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the almonds and stir to coat.
- Slow Cook: Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Place the almonds inside and stir again to make sure all the almonds are covered. Cook on low for 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes
- Water: Drizzle the water over the almonds and stir. Cook for another 30 min.
- Cool: Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pour the almonds on the cookie sheet and spread out evenly. Allow to cool completely before storing.
Why Egg Whites and Water Work
You might be wondering why you need egg whites and water for roasted almonds.
- Egg Whites: The egg white acts as a binder for the flavor to the nuts. It also acts similar to merguine when it hits the heat, creating a fine crunchy coating. It helps prevent an oily vibe from the nuts as well.
- Water: The water creates another binder as well as a sticky shiny coating at the end. You can actually leave out the water if you desire. They’ll still be crunchy, but the coating will be more powdery then sticky.
Tips and Variations
- Nuts: You can substitute out the almonds and use pecans, cashews, walnuts or other nut of choice.
- Add ins: Try adding in flaked coconut, sprinkles, crushed candy cane or anything else that tickles your fancy. Add these right after you’ve removed them from the slow cooker so they’re still warm and it’ll stick.
- Cooling: The longer you let the almonds cool before bagging or storing the crunchier they’ll stay. Don’t bag or store while warm, they’ll sweat ruining the crunchy cinnamon coating
- Stir: Remember you need to stir these every 20-30 minutes. Keep covered during cooking process
- Leftovers: Chop up leftovers for granola, yogurt, and dessert topping. YUM!
Storing and Gifting!
These are so easy to store and keep, if you can! They are so fun to snack on and munch on while wrapping gifts or enjoying family and friends over. This year give the gift of almonds to all your friends, family and neighbors. It is the perfect treat to share and easy to drop off on a doorstep or add to a gift basket. So many options for these easy cinnamon almonds.
- Giving: Pick up some fun gift giving bags to use for gifting for family and friends. About 1 to 2 cups per bag will make everyone holidays better!
- Storing: It is best to keep them in an air tight bin or bag that is stored in a cool, dry place.
More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try
From dessert to main dishes you can do so much in a slow cooker.
- Slow Cooker Cherry Chocolate Hot Fudge Cake
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
- Crack Chicken in a Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler
- Mongolian Beef in a Slow Cooker
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Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds
Ingredients
Instructions
- Mix together in a large bowl sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl with a whisk, mix together the egg white and vanilla until it is frothy. Add the almonds and coat thoroughly. This will help the mixture stick to the almonds during the cooking process.
- Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with cooking spray. I used a 4 quart. Add the cinnamon almond mixture to the almonds and turn it to low. Stir until the cinnamon sugar mixture is coated well on the almonds. Be prepared for your house to smell amazing!
- You want to cook for about 3-4 hours. Mine took about 3. Stirring every 20 minutes. In the very last hour, add 1/8 cup water and stir well. This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool. The almonds should be pretty sticky so be sure to separate them the best that you can and let them cool!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could granulated Equal or Truvia be used in place of the sugar?? Thanks.
Can we have the recipe in European measures: grams ? And what if u don’t have a slow cooker(not sure what that is). Can you cook it on a normal stowe?
You can roast them if you would like. I have a good recipe here: https://therecipecritic.com/roasted-cinnamon-sugar-candied-nuts/
My almonds were still very sticky even after letting them dry overnight. I cooked them for 3 1/2 hours. Mine also don’t look as “fluffy” as the pictures. Mine are more like a hard coating. Any suggestions?
Do you just coat the almonds in the egg mix or mix all of it with the sugar?
i tried this and I do think for the amount of sugar could double the nuts. Mine came out like brittle also, not sure what I did wrong, but hubby likes the brittle all the same, not a total loss. Will definitely tweak things a bit and try again, though.
Do you use raw almonds? If not raw, plain unsalted?
Raw almonds
Mine is only taking 2 hours. Is that enough?
It can be done sooner if your slow cooker cooks at a hotter temp
The recipe says 1/8 cup of water but instructions say 1/4. Which is correct?
It is 1/8
Could you make a double batch at one time?? Or is it better to make one batch (3 cups) at a time?
You can, although you would have to have a pretty large slow cooker to house 6 cups of almonds. 🙂
Can you use pecans instead?
Has anyone tried different sugars? For instance- Coconut sugar, Agave, etc.
am i supposed to put the lid on the crock pot?
My hubby and I just made these for a late Christmas gift, used 4 cups almonds and cooked 4 hours. I can’t keep my fingers out of them, they are soooo good! We are already planning another batch for us!
It says to cook for 3 -4 hrs and add the water for the last hour. What am I looking for to know it’s time to add the water.
What kind of almonds: raw, roasted? Thanks.
Raw almonds. 🙂
I accidentally bought dry roasted almonds instead of raw. Can i use them in this recipe or trade them back at the store?
It depends. I recommend raw, but they will just have a more roasted flavor to them if you choose to keep them. 🙂
sorry if this is a repeat question…but any idea what can be used instead of egg white? to make them vegan…. ?
Do you think aquafaba (chickpea brine) would work? That’s used for vegan meringue and supposedly behaves like egg whites when whipped.