Cinnamon Candied Almonds or Pecans or Walnuts

Cinnamon spiced, sweet and crunchy- an irresistible combination for snacking year round. This simple recipe makes a delicious well received gift for any occasion. It is reminiscent of the yummy smells and flavors of your favorite county Fair. This super simple Last minute gift idea will taste like you spent HOURS in the kitchen, but take you less than 20 minutes from start to finish to prepare.
You'll Need

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 T. Cinnamon
• 2 c. Almonds or Pecans or Walnuts

In a medium size saucepan mix cinnamon and sugar until blended.




Add water, stirring well. If you've combine your cinnamon & sugar you won't have to worry about blobs of cinnamon. If you didn't stir your cinnamon and sugar, you'll spend the next 5 or so minutes trying to blend the cinnamon blobs.




Bring to a boil over medium heat, add nuts (any variety you prefer).




Continue boiling, stirring constantly, over med heat until nearly ALL of the water evaporates. (This is different for everyone, for me it took about 5 minutes. However, I store nuts in the freezer so they were literally ice cold when I added them to the pan). Some folks report taking up to 12 minutes for this step.







Pour onto a cooking sheet covered in parchment or wax paper. I prefer parchment paper because it's easier to reuse for multiple batches of nuts.




You'll need to work quickly! Separate the nuts from each other using a fork, so they will be equally sugared and not in a blob.






Here's a batch of Sugared Pecans, dh's favorite!






These can be given as gifts in jars, simply attach a pretty ribbon & tag to the jar. They can also be given as cone gifts. Place 1 cup in the corner of a ziploc bag, tie with ribbon and trim the bag with scissors.

Places to Get Nuts Cheaper:

• Sam's Club- has 3 lb bags of Almonds for $9.
• Costco -frequently has bulk pkgs of nuts inexpensively
• Trader Joes- reportedly has bulk nuts less expensively
• Aldi's - frequently has containers of cashews and walnuts about half the price of walmart

If you know of a great place to a deal on nuts, please add it in the comments section below!