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Sugared almonds are a delicious and novel way to enjoy almonds, which are one of the healthiest nuts. Although a sugar coating certainly isn’t healthy, the almonds that lie beneath are an excellent source of omega 3’s.
Sugared almonds are often sold in stand-alone carts in malls but for a pretty penny. Served in paper cones, a small handful costs close to $5.00. Sugared almonds can be made at home for far less, especially when almonds are on sale.
Emerald almonds were BOGO at Publix a few weeks ago, so I stocked up. For less than $5.00, I made three cups of sugared almonds that we can grab for an occasional snack, toss into popcorn, or use in homemade trail mix.
Since this recipe uses natural, raw almonds, the nuts are soft and slightly chewy on the inside. The sugary coating hardens as the nuts cool, after which they become slightly crunchy on the outside. It does take the almonds several hours to harden completely, so it is best to make these ahead. They keep well in an airtight container or well wrapped in the freezer.
These nuts remind me of Jordan almonds, the lovely pastel-coated almonds often served at weddings. Although these aren’t as pretty and don’t have a hard shell, the texture and flavor are very similar. For at-home snacking or for teacher treats, these are a wonderful and budget-savvy option.
What can I use sugared almonds in?
Sugared almonds can go in so many different things. As I mentioned earlier, they can be great just for snacking or a trail mix, you can also add them as a topping to desserts or gift them to someone. If you keep these almonds out, they will be gone before you know it. You won’t be able to stop snacking on these delicious almonds!
How long will sugared almonds last?
Sugared almonds can last a long time as long as you store them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. If you do this, you can keep these almonds for up to two weeks. If you want to freeze them then you should be able to store them for up to two months. They are so delicious odds are they won’t last that long anyways!
How do you get a hard coating on sugared almonds?
The process of boiling the sugar, water, and cinnamon creates the mixture that will be the hard coating around the almonds. Once the mixture is boiling then you are going to want to add in your almonds and stir. Stir the mix until the almonds are dry and sugary. Once they are dry and sugary, you can spread them on wax paper to cool for about an hour.
Can I try this with other nuts?
Absolutely! This recipe would also work wonderfully with other nuts such as cashews or walnuts. Almonds are my favorite, but you can experiment with some other nuts to switch it up. Regardless of what you use, this recipe makes such a sweet and delicious treat!
If you don’t have a candy thermometer, no worries. Simply add the nuts to the syrup soon after it begins to boil, then stir until all water is gone and you are left with completely dry, sugar-coated pieces. This takes roughly 20 minutes, and you’ll need to stir the whole time.
I didn’t want to stand over the syrup for quite as long, so I used a candy thermometer and let the syrup boil to soft ball stage. I used this Polder candy/deep fry thermometer, which is less than $10.00 and can be thrown into the dishwasher. After the syrup reached softball, I added the almonds and stirred until they were completely dry and sugary (about 8 minutes).
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw almonds (whole)
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2-3 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Put water, sugar, and cinnamon in saucepan.
- Bring to a boil; boil to soft ball stage on thermometer. (If no thermometer, just add nuts at the beginning and cook & stir until dry & sugary.
- When syrup reaches soft ball, stir in almonds.
- Stir continuously until almonds are coated with dry, sugary exterior.
- Spread on wax paper to cool.
- After an hour or more, pour nuts into airtight canister to store.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 3679Total Fat 214gSaturated Fat 16gSodium 13mgCarbohydrates 399gSugar 321gProtein 91g
FAQs
The hope is like the sugared almonds when the bitter taste is changed for sweet sugary one, having a loving marriage and a special loved one in your life will make even the bad times seem better.
What is the five sugared almonds poem? ›
The Jordan Almond poem is sure to do the trick: "Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat, To remind us that life is both bitter and sweet. Five wishes for the new [couple]: Health, wealth, happiness, children, and a long life!"
What is the tradition of 5 sugared almonds? ›
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.
What does the 5 almonds mean at a wedding? ›
The Traditional Bomboniere – A Sachet of Five Jordan Almonds
The perfect wedding bomboniere, which is Italian for wedding favor, includes five Jordan almonds to represent five wishes for the bride and groom. These are health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and a long life.
What do Americans call sugared almonds? ›
In their most classic form, they are exactly the candies known as sugared almonds, "Jordan Almonds" or dragees. The generic name "confetti" has nothing to do with the French and English word "confetti", bits of colored paper, translated into Italian as "coriandoli".
Why do Italians give sugared almonds at weddings? ›
They have been given away at Italian weddings since the 14th century. You'll usually find five of the candied almonds wrapped in tulle bundles to represent five blessings for the couple: health, wealth, fertility, happiness, and longevity.
What is the meaning of sugar almonds? ›
Meaning of sugared almond in English
a sweet made of an almond (= a type of nut) inside a smooth, hard sugar shell: Each wedding guest got a few sugared almonds in a satin box tied with a ribbon.
What is the history of sugared almonds? ›
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.
Why did they throw sugared almonds? ›
Meaning. Jordan almonds are given out at weddings all over the world and have been for years. The bitterness of the almonds themselves represents the trials and tribulations of life, while the sugar coating represents the hope that the married couple will embark on their new life together with sweetness.
What is another name for sugared almonds? ›
Candied almonds or Praline are nuts (usually almonds) of French origin, that have been cooked in a special way, so they end up coated in browned, crunchy sugar.
In Italy and other European countries, their name is "confetti". These are sugared almonds but with a spun sugar shell.
What is the Greek wedding sugared almonds? ›
Koufeta Significance, Origins and Symbolism
Confetti, as they are called in Italian or Koufeta, as they are referred to in Greece, consists of an uneven number typically 5, of sugar-coated almonds, representing the bittersweet life of a married couple.
Why does the bride walk around the groom 7 times? ›
The bride circling the groom symbolizes the delineation of their own private world within the outer world, with her husband-to-be at its center. She continues to circuit seven times, symbolizing that she, the “foundation of the home,” is founding a lasting edifice that will be complete until the end of time.
What does almonds symbolize? ›
Early on, the Christians saw in the almond a symbol of the Virgin Mary, its shape being the union of two circles, humanity and divinity. It is therefore very common in early Christian iconography to find Jesus and Mary represented in an aptly named mandorla, stating that in them, Heaven and Earth unite.
What is the meaning of sugared almonds in bomboniere? ›
The candy is given out in odd numbers, most often 3s and 5s. Three almonds symbolize the bride, the groom and their future child, and five almonds represent five wishes for the sposi: health, wealth, fertility, happiness and longevity.
What does the Bible say about almonds? ›
(Jeremiah 1:13-14) While the almond is a sign of hope that God will eventually fulfill His wonderful promises to Israel (or to us), the context is more ominous. Later, God repeated the warning through Jeremiah: “Behold, I will watch (shaked) over them for evil, and not for good…” (Jeremiah 44:27).
What does the almond nut symbolize? ›
In Christianity, the almond, with its seed concealed behind an outer hull and a hard shell, symbolizes the purity of the virgin and the hidden godliness within the human shape of Jesus. This is why Christian icons often feature the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ within an almond-like mandorla, or frame.
What do the colors of sugared almonds mean? ›
It's not just the number of sugared almonds at celebrations that matter, as the colours also represent meaning. White for weddings, silver for twenty-fifth anniversaries, gold for fiftieth anniversaries, sky-blue or pink for christenings, red for graduations, green for engagements.
