Cinnamon Glazed Almonds

Something I like to do is to take something that's healthy, and then to add massive amounts of butter and sugar and salt to it and make it unhealthy.  Pumpkin cheesecake ice cream?  Cooking Light's recipe for spinach dip?  Strawberry cupcakes?

Yeah, it's quite a talent.  Today I made almonds decidedly unhealthy.  Unhealthy and delicious.

I go bananas for candied nuts.  The first time I had these cinnamon glazed almonds, I was fourteen years old, and I was in Disney World with Tanya and her family celebrating her birthday.  The trip was super fun, and we ate like kings, but for some reason, the part that has stuck out in my mind was toward the end of the trip (about one hour before we started watching Scrooged in their conversion van.  I loved that van.  It had a TV and VCR way back in the mid '90s, and the back seat would recline to be something like a queen-sized bed.  I could have lived in the van--down by the river!).  Anyway, we were leaving the park, about to head home, when Tanya's dad bought a little cone-shaped paper container holding glazed almonds.  He shared a few with me, and all I can remember about that was how I wanted to devour the entire thing.  But that would have been really weird and I was a teenager who, at least sometimes, wanted to be liked.

Since that time, I've found it nearly impossible to resist cinnamon glazed almonds when at a theme park, or at the movie theater by our house (isn't that a crazy thing for a movie theater to sell?), or at the mall.  The mall's the worst, because there's usually some sour-faced teen standing outside the Nutty Bavarian stand with a tray of samples.  I always take a sample, and if Matt's with me I'll make him take one, too, even though he doesn't even like cinnamon glazed almonds.  (PS--Later we'll do a post on why Matt's such a weirdo.)  I'll also occasionally take off my jacket or attempt to alter my appearance in some way so that I can walk back by and take a second sample. 

Well, that was enough rambling.  I love these nuts and have for a long time.  (That would've been a lot more concise, huh?)

These is basically the same recipe I used for the candied pecans in the Pecan Praline Ice Cream.  It's simple and easy.  These almonds would also make for a cute homemade Christmas gift.

Have at it, ladies and gentlemen!

Cinnamon Glazed Almonds

Ingredients

2 pounds roasted almonds (I used salted, but you could also use unsalted)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 egg whites

splash water

Directions

1.  Mix egg whites and water until frothy.  In a separate bowl, combine sugars, salt, and cinnamon.

2.  Stir in almonds, making sure that they are coated with the egg whites.

3.  Add the sugar mixture and stir until almonds are completely coated.

4.  Spread almonds in a single layer on two baking sheets, and bake at 250 for one hour, turning every 15 minutes.