Gebrannte Mandeln- German Roasted Almonds Recipe (2024)

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Visit any German Christmas Market , German FeFair, and you will smell the sugary, cinnamon, nutty scent of Gebrannte Mandeln. I think they waft the smell around to lure you in (and it works). Grab a bag to munch as you shop. Crunchy, sweet, nutty… so delicious. But there is no reason to wait until your next visit to a Christmas Market. Use this German Roasted Almonds Recipe to make Gebrannte Mandeln at home! Munch on them as a special treat… serve them to guests along side your cheese plate at a Holiday Party…. or pack some up in a pretty container to give as a gift (just be sure to keep some for yourself).

The recipe for Gebrannte Mandeln is fairly simple. Mostly it’s sugar, almonds, and a bit of cinnamon. The difficult part comes in the amount of stirring you need to do. You CAN NOT dump all ingredients into a pot and walk away, you’ll end up with a burnt mess. And as the process goes on, the stirring gets more strenuous. (It helps to have a willing teenage helper to trade off stirring).

Note, the recipe uses 2 cups of Almonds… so you end up with 2 1/2 cups of Candied Almonds. Not very many… I imagine you can double the recipe, but it will make stirring a lot tougher. You be the judge.

Gebrannte Mandeln Recipe

Read through the recipe first and make sure you have everything on your counter and ready to go BEFORE you start. You will be stirring and stirring and stirring (no stopping), so you will need everything at hand.

PLEASE be careful of the hot sugar… it burns (I have scars to prove it) Use Potholders and good sense.
Also, if it’s raining, don’t let the Almonds sit in the open too long. They will get sticky.

Gebrannte Mandeln German Roasted Almonds Recipe

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

1/2 cup Water
1 1/2 cup Sugar divided
1 generous teaspoon Vanilla Zucker or Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
2 cups Raw Almonds skin on
Parchment Paper

Instructions

-Have all of your tools and ingredients ready to go. Once you start... you can't really stop, or you could burn the almonds.
-Cover a cookie sheet with Parchment Paper
-In a HEAVY Pot or larger saucepan (not non-stick), combine water, 1 cup sugar and cinnamon. Cook over heavy heat while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.
-Bring to a Boil
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-Add the almonds
-Cook the Almonds in the boiling sugar water over high heat, stirring CONSTANTLY. The water will boil off, and the almonds will be left looking like they are coated in powder. (This could take a a few minutes, don't rush, it will happen)
-Lower the heat to medium, and keep stirring the almonds. The sugar will melt again, and they will start to look shiny. (This is the most frustrating part. You think it will never happen, and then suddenly it does.)
-Lower the heat again, and add the 1/2 cup sugar plus vanilla sugar or vanilla extract. Stir and stir and stir until the Almonds go through their powder sugar looking phase, and start to go shiny again. It takes time, but it will happen. Just keep stirring.
-When they are shiny with a brown coat of melted sugar with some crunchy sugary bits, pour them out onto the prepared pan.
-Use the wooden spoon, and maybe another spoon to separate them out on the pan (if you leave a big lump, it will stick that way.)
-Enjoy warm, or let cool for later.
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