Candied almonds over an open fire – syrup, sand and gloss

Syrup, sand and gloss – and the spoon never stops

about 300 g
Time: 5 min at home + 30–45 min for the embers + about 15–20 min in the pan
Difficulty: Medium
7 ingredients
12 steps

Photo: 4028mdk09, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

It starts out like an ordinary pan of sugar syrup. The almonds swim in a brown, bubbling syrup and the smell of cinnamon reaches all the way to the woodpile. Then, in the middle of stirring, something happens that looks like a failure: the syrup disappears, and the almonds are covered in a dry, pale shell that looks like wet sand. That's exactly right. A few more minutes on lower heat, and the sand melts into a glossy, crunchy shell.

Candied almonds don't need a thermometer – you just need to recognise three phases and never stop stirring. Think syrup, sand and gloss. During the syrup phase, the water boils off. In the sand phase, the sugar crystallises around the almonds. In the gloss phase, it melts again into caramel, and then it's time to tip them out and separate them.

Method

Put the pan on the grill over the embers. Pour in the water and the sugar mixture and stir until the sugar has dissolved and it starts to boil.
Tip in the almonds and stir so they're all coated in the syrup.
Let it boil and stir often, with long strokes along the bottom and sides. After about 3–6 minutes, so much water has boiled off that the syrup is thick and the bubbles are large and sluggish.
From now on, stir all the time. The syrup turns dry and sandy, and the almonds get a matt, grainy coating. This often takes 3–5 minutes.
Lower the heat as soon as it turns sandy. Lift the pan higher or move it towards the edge of the bed of embers.
Keep stirring. After a minute or so, the sugar at the bottom starts melting into a clear, brown caramel. Toss the almonds in it so the melted sugar sticks to them.
Keep an eye on the colour. The caramel should be like light syrup or amber, not dark like coffee. If it smokes or smells acrid, lift the pan off straight away.
When most of the almonds have glossy patches and there's almost no loose sugar left in the pan, about 3–6 minutes after the sugar started to melt, lift the pan off.
Immediately tip the almonds out onto the baking paper and spread them out in a single layer. Scrape out the last of it with the spoon.
Separate the almonds straight away with two forks, while the sugar is still soft. Pull apart the ones stuck together so most of them lie on their own. It has to be quick – after one or two minutes the sugar has set. Never use your fingers – the sugar is still very hot.
Let the almonds cool for at least ten to fifteen minutes before anyone touches them. They only turn crunchy once they've cooled completely.
Break up any clumps that are left and put the almonds in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

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Almonds with their skins on give a rougher coating that sticks better. Blanched almonds work too, but the coating is thinner and smoother.

At home and by the fire

At home. Weigh the almonds into a bag. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt and any vanilla sugar in a sealed jar, so all you have to do by the fire is add the water. Pour the water into a small bottle. Tear off a sheet of baking paper and roll it up.

By the fire. The sugar wants even heat under the whole base, not flames licking up the sides and burning the sugar there. Let the fire burn down to an even bed of embers, as described in lighting a fire. The pan needs to sit steadily, because you'll be stirring hard for fifteen minutes. How to set up the grill and choose the height is explained in grills and fish baskets.

Over embers there's no knob to turn. You lower the heat by lifting the pan a bit higher, moving it towards the edge of the bed of embers or taking it off entirely for ten to twenty seconds. Decide before you start where the cooler spot is.

Lay out the baking paper on the chopping board near the fire, with the forks beside it, before the sugar has even started to boil. When the almonds are done, there's no time to look for things.

Syrup, sand and gloss

These are the three phases, with approximate times. How long it takes depends on the embers, the pan and the weather, so let what you see decide more than the clock.

Syrup, about 3–6 minutes. Sugar, water and cinnamon boil into a bubbling, brown syrup around the almonds. The bubbles are small and quick at first, then larger and more sluggish as the water boils off. Stir often.
Sand, about 3–5 minutes. The syrup thickens so much that the spoon leaves a trail, and suddenly everything turns dry. The sugar crystallises and settles as a matt, grainy coating on the almonds, and there are loose grains of sugar in the pan. It looks like it's gone wrong but is exactly right. Stir all the time and lower the heat.
Gloss, about 3–6 minutes. On lower heat, the sugar starts to melt again, first at the bottom of the pan. Stir so the melted caramel ends up on the almonds. The coating turns glossy in patches, it smells toasted and the almonds crackle a little. When most of the loose sugar has melted and stuck, they're done.

Safety with melted sugar, young children and nut allergy

Melted sugar is extremely hot. Sugar only starts to caramelise at about 170 degrees, so it's far hotter than boiling water. It's also thick and sticks to the skin instead of running off. According to 1177 (the Swedish healthcare advice service), hot and viscous substances, such as hot toffee, can cause deep burns. Stir with a long spoon, keep your face away from the pan, never taste the sugar straight from the pan and don't touch the almonds until they've cooled.

If someone gets burnt. Cool it straight away with cool running water for about fifteen minutes, no longer, and never with ice or snow. Don't remove clothing that has stuck to the skin. Seek medical care straight away if blisters have formed and the injury is larger than the injured person's own hand, if the skin is white, greyish-brown or black, if the burn is on the face, hands, feet or over a large joint, and always if the child is 12 months old or younger.

Whole almonds and the youngest children. 1177 (the Swedish healthcare advice service) and Livsmedelsverket (the Swedish Food Agency) advise holding off on whole nuts, almonds, peanuts and grapes for the youngest children, because they can go down the windpipe. Mashed or in very small pieces, on the other hand, is fine. Swedish authorities don't give an age, but in the US the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting with nuts and hard sweets until the child is four years or older, depending on how the child chews and eats. Candied almonds are both. For the little ones, you can crush a few almonds very finely and sprinkle them over porridge or ice cream. Let the child sit still while eating, not run round the fire with a fistful of almonds.

Nut allergy. Almonds count as a nut under the allergen labelling rules, as do hazelnuts, cashews and pecans, so candied almonds can't be made nut-free, and neither can the variations with other nuts. Always ask before offering them, and wash the pan and spoon thoroughly before they're used for anything else. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat can be signs of an allergic reaction. If someone has difficulty breathing or feels faint after eating: use the adrenaline pen first if the person has one, and call 112 immediately. If you want something crunchy and spiced that everyone can eat, make roasted chickpeas in the same pan or popcorn with cinnamon and sugar.

The fire. More about lighting fires safely can be found in fire safety in nature. If there's a fire ban, it's the county administrative board's or the municipality's decision that counts, and the rules are in lighting fires outdoors.

Candied almonds with children

The children never stir the sugar. It's too hot and happens too fast, and the only thing needed at the pan is an adult with a spoon. Even so, there's plenty to do before and after.

At home, the children can weigh the almonds, mix the cinnamon and sugar in the jar and smell the cardamom. By the fire, they can follow the phases from a couple of metres away and shout when it turns to "sand" – that's usually the most fun surprise. Say it out loud before the pan is lifted off, so everyone knows to step back.

Once the almonds have cooled completely, the children's big job comes: sorting. They break up the clumps, put the glossiest almonds in one pile and the sandiest in another, and fill jars or small bags to give away. Feel the almonds yourself before the children touch them. More ways to give the children roles by the fire can be found in cooking with children over a fire.

Tips for candied almonds over a fire

A heavy pan. Cast iron and thick steel spread the heat evenly and don't burn the sugar in patches. Read more about looking after the iron in cast iron.
One layer of almonds. If the almonds don't fit in a single layer on the bottom, they're hard to stir and the sugar burns on some of them. Better to make two batches.
Better slightly too pale than too dark. A few sandy almonds taste good. Burnt sugar tastes bitter and can't be rescued.
Clean the pan with water. Let the pan cool until it's just lukewarm, then pour in a little water and put it back on the embers. The sugar dissolves by itself and can be wiped out. Never cool a hot cast-iron pan with cold water or snow. More about washing up by the fire can be found in hygiene and washing up outdoors.
An airtight jar. Sugar absorbs moisture. In an airtight jar, the almonds stay crunchy for several days.

Common mistakes

The spoon stopped. The sugar on the bottom gets too hot and burns while the top is still syrup. Stir all the time from the moment the syrup thickens.
The sugar turned dark and bitter. Too much heat in the gloss phase. Lift the pan off straight away and tip them out. Sort out the darkest almonds, and lower the heat earlier next time.
It never turned to sand. The heat was too low, so the water hasn't boiled off. Move the pan closer to the embers and keep stirring.
The sand never melts. If the heat was lowered too much, the almonds get stuck in the sandy stage. Give them a little more heat and keep stirring. If that doesn't work, sandy almonds are still tasty.
It all became one big slab. The almonds were left too long before being separated. Let them cool completely and break up the slab, or put the slab back in the pan, set it on the embers for a moment so the sugar softens, then tip out and separate again.
The almonds are sticky the next day. They've absorbed moisture. Store them in an airtight jar, and wait until they've cooled completely before putting them in.

Candied almond variations

Gingerbread spice: swap the cinnamon for the same amount of gingerbread spice, and it tastes like a Christmas market. There are more ideas in christmas markets in Sweden.
Salty and sweet: sprinkle a little flaky salt over the almonds on the paper as soon as they've been tipped out.
Other nuts: hazelnuts, cashews and pecans work the same way, but smaller nuts are quicker. They're also nuts for anyone who is allergic.
With toffee and chestnuts: make a jar of mixed treats, for example with homemade knäck toffee and roasted chestnuts on the same autumn evening. More sweet things over the fire can be found in snacks and treats.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the sugar go sandy?

When the water has boiled off, the sugar crystallises again and settles as a dry, grainy coating around the almonds. It's a normal stage. Lower the heat and keep stirring, and the sugar will melt into glossy caramel after a few minutes.

How long do candied almonds take over a fire?

Allow about 15–20 minutes in the pan: 3–6 minutes for the syrup, 3–5 minutes for the sandy stage and 3–6 minutes for the glossy one. The times are approximate and depend on the embers. On top of that comes half an hour or more for the fire to burn down to embers.

Can you make candied almonds in an ordinary frying pan?

Yes, in a cast-iron or carbon steel frying pan. Over an open fire it easily gets too hot for a non-stick pan, so choose a pan without a coating.

How do I separate the almonds without them clumping?

Tip them out onto baking paper as soon as the pan has been lifted off and pull them apart with two forks while the sugar is still soft. After one or two minutes it has set. Any clumps left can be broken up once the almonds have cooled.

From what age can children eat candied almonds?

1177 and Livsmedelsverket advise holding off on whole nuts and almonds for the youngest children, because they can go down the windpipe, but they don't give an age. In the US, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until the child is four years or older. For younger children, the almonds can be crushed very finely.

How long do candied almonds keep?

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid they stay crunchy for several days, often longer. Left out in the open, they absorb moisture and turn sticky.