Candied Almonds

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My dad loves any type of nut; cashews, pecans, macadamias, he’ll pretty much nosh on anything you put in front of him, but almonds are probably his favorite. Every Valentine’s Day my mom would drive us across town to the local candy shop to pick up a pound of chocolate covered almonds. We would have them wrapped at the store in heinous foil wrapping paper and eagerly present them to him when he got home from work. In typical dad awesomeness, he always pretended as though he had no idea what was enclosed in the small foil wrapped box.

About 5 years ago, I was wondering through our local mall and noticed an enticing sugary aroma wafting through the air. Being a sugar freak, I followed the intriguing smell directly to a counter that was roasting and glazing all types of nuts perfectly packaged in cellophane cones. I just so happened to be headed back home that weekend, so I picked up three pack and tucked them away for my dad. As you may have guessed, these sugary almonds were his version of bliss.

This weekend, I thought I’d try my hand at making a version of these Candy Coated Almonds in my own kitchen. The process is really simple and as a little bonus, the sweet blend of vanilla and almonds will fill your house with an amazing scent. Trust me, after one whiff of the vanilla goodness, your family will be hanging out in the kitchen just waiting for these babies to cool down enough to start eating them.

Package these delectable candy coated nuts in small cellophane bags or serve them up in homemade parchment cones and you’ll have the perfect homemade gift for any nut lover! I added little felt hearts to my cones for a little Valentine’s Day flair. [/donotprint]