12 Weeks of Christmas Treats: Slightly Sweet Cinnamon Sugar Almonds

I wanted to make at least one recipe for the 12 weeks of Christmas Treats hosted on Meal Planning Magic to be a little less indulgent for the health food crowd. It is easy to over indulge during the Christmas season, but these cinnamon sugar almonds are excellent. They do not contain the heavy coating that my spiced almonds on my chocolate marquis contain. These nuts contain a smaller amount of sugar making the coating light.

I used light coconut sugar on these cinnamon sugar almonds because coconut sugar has an amazing complex taste that is similar to brown sugar without the being heavy. I also soaked the almonds over night to remove the Phytic acid from the nuts. I did bake the nuts at 350 degrees F, so I did kill any beneficial enzymes that we left on the nuts which was probably not much because my “raw” almonds were already steam pasteurized. One random side effect that I really like about soaked nuts is that they do not make the roof of my mouth itch. When I eat unsoaked nuts the roof of my mouth itches after them. With soaked nuts, I no longer have this reaction.

These almonds are slightly sweet with hints of cinnamon sprinkled throughout. These nuts are excellent on their own as a healthier alternative on a dessert table or they are excellent on top of salads. You can also package these nuts up and give them out as gifts.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg white
• ¼ cup light coconut sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup almonds, soaked over night in cold water

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.       Beat the egg in a small bowl until slightly frothy.

3.       Mix the coconut sugar and cinnamon with the egg.

4.       Coat the almonds in the egg mixture.

5.       Bake the almonds for 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside and crunchy on the inside.

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