Chipotle Candied Almonds

These chipotle candied almonds make the most perfect sweet and savoury snack. They’re a pure taste sensation! This recipe is very easy to make too.

If candied almonds weren’t very high in calories, I’d probably eat them every day, all them time. Sadly, they’re quite calorific and high in sugar, so I have to keep them for the weekends and exercise “moderation”, which is a word I rather dislike. Sigh…oh to have the metabolism of an 18-year-old again!

I’ve been trying to find a way to replicate some of the caramelised and candied almonds I’ve purchased from street vendors and markets. I’ve had some flavoured with Sriracha, others with salted caramel, and still others with a dash of vanilla. I’m going to try and make them all at home and try out a few new flavours while I’m at it too!

This recipe uses only five ingredients and takes about half an hour to make. The hardest part, I find, is melting the sugar. That’s because I’m very new to caramel and candy-making. I hope with time and practice this will get easier. Of course, you have to be careful when handling hot, molten sugar because it is extremely hot! Also, as I said above, exercise “moderation” when you eat these; they contain a lot of sugar and salt!

Ingredients

1. Two cups of natural, whole, almonds that have not been previously roasted.
2. One cup of granulated white sugar
3. One tablespoon unsalted butter
4. Half a teaspoon chipotle powder
5. One teaspoon coarse sea salt or more, according to taste.

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (for conversion to Celsius, please check the Conversions section of this website).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Spread the almonds on the paper and roast them in the oven for 7 minutes.
4. Remove the almonds from the oven and allow them to cool.
5. In a large saucepan, place the sugar on high heat. Do not stir, but make sure to shake the pan regularly.
6. When the sugar starts to melt, monitor it closely and shake it regularly. You might need to reduce the heat to medium at this point to avoid burning it. Be careful because it might burn very quickly.
7. Once it has melted, remove from heat, foold in the almonds and mix them until they’re all coated with the sugar mix.
8. Spread them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I used the same sheet I had used to toast the almonds since the paper was still intact and usable). Make sure to do this fast because
9. Allow them to cool slightly, brush the butter on the almonds. Sprinkle with salt and chipotle powder.
10. When cooled, break the almonds apart with your hands. They may be a bit hard at this point and they might break into larger clumps, that’s perfectly fine.
11. Store in an airtight container. These should be good for about a week or longer, if they last that long!

Tip: there might be a few grains of caramelised sugar and salt left on the parchment paper after you place the almonds in a container. Do NOT throw those grains away! Instead, store them in a small container and use them as ice-cream topping. They’re delicious!

Do you like candied almonds? What are your favourite flavours? Have you ever made them before? If yes, let me know your favourite recipe!

For similar recipes, check out:

1. Homemade Cricket Granola
2. Savoury Crispy Crickets

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