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Home » Gebrannte Mandeln (German Candied Almonds)

Gebrannte Mandeln (German Candied Almonds)

December 22, 2017

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german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

Growing up in Germany, I went to the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) with my family every year.  Home was Stuttgart which proudly boasts one of the oldest and largest Christmas markets in Germany, but we also loved visiting other Christmas markets around the country.   Most large cities and even many smaller towns around Germany have their own Christmas markets and each has its own unique aspects and charms.

Whichever Weihnachtsmarkt we visited, I don’t think there was ever a time I went to one without getting some Türkischer Honig, a hot mug of Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic spiced punch), and a package of Gebrannte Mandeln (candied almonds).  That trio of goodies can be found at every Christmas market and they were my favorite treats to enjoy while strolling up and down the stalls and enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells of the Weihnachtsmarkt.

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

Since moving to the U.S. twelve years ago I’m not longer able to visit the German Christmas markets every year like I used to.  But what I can do, and have done, is create many of my favorite Weihnachtsmarkt treats.

Today I’m going to show you how to make Gebrannte Mandeln.  They’re made on the stovetop and there’s a key difference that distinguishes them from other candied almonds: Whereas many recipes will say the almonds are done once the sugar has melted and then thickened, the process for making German candied almonds continues through two additional stages that results in a fantastic flavor and texture.  If you’ve never tried them before, you’re in for a treat!

And if you’ve had Gebrannte Mandeln before and love them as I do, I wish you a wonderful stroll down memory lane!

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

Let’s get started!

Place the sugar, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract and water in a heavy, well-seasoned cast iron pan or non-stick pan and bring it to a boil until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the almonds and reduce the heat to medium-high.

Regularly stir the almonds.  The process will take about 20-25 minutes.

The sugar will begin to turn darker.

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

The sugar mixture will become thicker.  At this point stir constantly.

Before you know it the sugar will begin to crystalize.

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

The sugar will become dry and resume the appearance of crystalized sugar.  Before you scream, “oh my gosh, what happened to my almonds??  They’ve seized and there’s no rescuing them!”, don’t panic.  This is normal.

To prevent burning, turn the heat down to medium and continue stirring.  Within a couple of minutes the sugar will begin melting.  Stir continually, coating the almonds in the melted sugar.

Once the sugar has mostly melted and the almonds have a rough/bumpy coating around them, they are done.

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

Dump the roasted candied almonds out onto parchment paper and spread them out to cool down.

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

They are ready for eating!

Enjoy!

german candied almonds recipe gebrannte mandeln christmas market weihnachtsmarkt

Gebrannte Mandeln (German Candied Almonds)

Kimberly Killebrew
These Gebrannte Mandeln are served at every Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) throughout Germany.  They're simply irresistible! 
Print Recipe
4.54 from 15 votes
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine German
Servings 10 servings
Calories 341 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups cane (or regular) sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups raw almonds

Instructions
 

  • Place all of the ingredients except for the almonds in a heavy, well-seasoned cast iron pan or non-stick pan. Bring it to a boil until the sugar melts.  Add the almonds and reduce the heat to medium-high.
  • Stir the almonds continually.  The process will take about 20-25 minutes as the sugar caramelizes, crystalizes, becomes dry and powdery and then melts.  Once the sugar dries and becomes powdery (don't panic, this is supposed to happen!), reduce the heat to medium to prevent burning.  Stir constantly until the sugar begins to melt, stirring to coat the almonds with the melted sugar.  Once the sugar is mostly melted and the almonds are rough and bumpy, they are done.
  • NOTE: This is more of an "advanced" recipe as it is very easy to ruin. It requires the proper equipment and constant attention.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 41g | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Keyword Candied Almonds
Tried this recipe? We'd love to see it!Mention @daringgourmet or hashtag #daringgourmet
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Filed Under: Affiliate, All Recipes, By Country or Region, Disclosure, Food, Germany, Western Europe Tagged With: almonds, candied, christmas market, gebrannte mandeln, Germany, nuts, weihnachtsmarkt

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38 Responses

  1. Megan says

    December 22, 2020 at 9:55 pm

    My trip back to Germany of course couldn’t happen this year. So happy to have found this recipe! I doubled the amount and it turned out just as I remember! The pain of stirring so much for so long was lessened by having a glass of Glühwein in hand!!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 24, 2020 at 1:35 pm

      LOL! Fantastic, Megan, I’m so happy you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  2. Lucy says

    December 20, 2020 at 8:26 am

    We just made these as part of our home-made German Christmas market (since the real ones are closed this year). They came out looking and tasting EXACTLY like the ones on the markets. I made sure to keep stirring when the sugar turned powdery, and remove them from the heat just as it began to melt again, and the result was perfect. I just used a normal non-stick pan, but I literally did not stop stirring for 25 minutes, I was so scared about them burning! Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 20, 2020 at 9:46 am

      Fantastic, Lucy, I’m so happy they were a success, thank you!

      Reply
  3. S. Jackson says

    December 13, 2020 at 3:24 pm

    Just finished making this recipe. (Used pecans instead of almonds.). Fabulous!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. And especially thank you for the advice not to panic. I was really thinking I had done something wrong, but I kept stirring and right before eyes appeared a delicious treat. Will definitely make these again over three Christmas holiday.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 14, 2020 at 10:07 pm

      Fantastic, thanks so much for the feedback!

      Reply
  4. Uwe Kaufmann says

    December 5, 2020 at 5:24 pm

    Yummo, oh them home feels…childhood memories. Thanks heaps they turned out perfect.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 5, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Uwe, thank you!

      Reply
  5. Danielle says

    October 9, 2020 at 9:54 am

    What am I doing wrong?? Using cast iron. Been stirring constantly!
    The liquid mostly had Mostly absorbed… And now it is almost liquefying again… I’ve been at this for almost an hour! Sweet sticky and smelling A bit burnt… So disappointed. Was making this for my Oktoberfest gathering!!!

    Reply
  6. Phillip Knight says

    July 20, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    You don’t think of these during a Texas summer ,but we had a huge amount of almonds to do something with and I remembered munching on these during a christkidle market.This recipe is a good one,but if you have little experience cooking sugars to the candy stage you must follow the tempatures and times precisely.Eventually you will “just know” when the sugars have reached the “hard ball” or “soft ball” stage.I used the Mexican vanilla we are so fond of in Texas and use the freshest cinnamon.Its still 100 degrees in the shade but the house smells like its Christmas in July !

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 20, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      Wonderful, Phillip, I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I’m with you, I could eat these all year round :)

      Reply
  7. Alice Burns says

    December 21, 2019 at 8:32 am

    Just tried making this followed the recipe to the letter, ended up with a burnt gooey mess and a waste of good ingredients.

    Reply
  8. Kendria says

    December 13, 2019 at 7:18 am

    I made these last year and loved them. This year made them again usin my Le Creuset and ended up with a burnt mess because the sugar never dried out. It looks like a cast iron skillet is being used in the recipe above so will try again using my cast iron.

    Reply
  9. David Hawks says

    December 8, 2019 at 6:24 am

    I have loved these since my childhood days in Bad Kreuznach. I’ve missed them and I’m so happy to see a recipe for them. I have one question. I have a flat glass topped stove and can’t use a cast iron pan. Do you think it would work in a heavy stainless steel skillet?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 8, 2019 at 8:38 am

      Hi David, not stainless steel but you can use a non-stick pan. Have a great Sunday!

      Reply
  10. Anonymous says

    June 13, 2019 at 11:31 am

    Like a lot of other comments, this turned out to be a burned goopy mess!
    I followed the instructions exactly, I won’t try it again, the almonds cost me 10$.

    Reply
  11. Cindy says

    December 23, 2018 at 11:01 am

    I made these today- flavor was good, but think I let the second melt go too long. Will try again. How should these be stored- fridge?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 23, 2018 at 11:52 am

      Hi Cindy, no need to store them in the fridge, room temp is fine.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        December 23, 2018 at 12:04 pm

        Thank you!!

        Reply
  12. Shauna says

    December 18, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    My first try they tasted good and turned out alright. My second try they turned out perfect. Patience is key, stir continually, and when the sugar melts for the second time make sure you don’t let it melt all the way or you’ll end up with the goopy mess. Dump onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and break up as much as you can right away. When they begin to cool and dry you can finish breaking up the rest.
    Delicious!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 18, 2018 at 8:01 pm

      Thanks so much for your detailed feedback, Shauna, and I’m so glad you enjoyed them – thank you! :)

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        December 18, 2018 at 10:33 pm

        I too grew up in Germany and these are the first homemade ones that actually taste like they should; including the very important crunch! Lol.

        Reply
  13. Peter says

    December 17, 2018 at 4:49 am

    Ha ha @Cecelia, I’m relieved I’m not the only one who ended up with the black gooey mess result. Looked good until the 20min mark, but never got the crystallization.
    Thinking maybe heat was too low for the duration not allowing mix to reach a high enough temp to crystallize..?
    Back to the store tomorrow for another bag of almonds!

    Reply
  14. Cecelia says

    July 2, 2018 at 8:01 pm

    I cooked these exactly per the directions. I did not get dry crumbles but a burnt gooey mess. What went wrong?

    Reply
  15. Shannon Pool says

    February 17, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    Ok, since I had an additional bag of almonda left over, I attempted again. This time I used a frying pan, less sugar, less water and less heat. Within 15 minute I got the dry crumbles. Changing my star rating, however I think you need to watch your stoves. Some get overtly hot, as well as how deep your pan is. The depth of the pan can reduce he heat surface available to reduce the sugar mixture down,to a powder.

    Reply
  16. Natalie Loftus says

    December 28, 2017 at 3:31 pm

    Soooo delicious!! I had completely forgotten about these, I used to eat these at the Christmas markets too. I’m so glad you mentioned that it’s normal for the sugar to become dry and crumbly before it melts again because I would have freaked out, LOL :) These turned out perfectly and taste just like I remember them, thank you!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 28, 2017 at 3:35 pm

      Wonderful, Natalie, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!

      Reply
  17. Bonnie Cox says

    December 24, 2017 at 3:50 pm

    I can attest to how delicious these are. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 24, 2017 at 8:10 pm

      LOL, Bonnie! :) Thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
  18. CarolynM says

    December 23, 2017 at 8:35 pm

    I had these in Munich during Oktoberfest. They were EXQUISITE! Can’t wait to try my own. Yum.

    Reply
  19. Ann Hewes says

    December 23, 2017 at 6:05 pm

    Can this recipe be used with other nuts? Hazelnuts or walnuts?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 23, 2017 at 10:26 pm

      Hi Ann, absolutely!

      Reply
  20. Parker says

    December 23, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    I do this with large cashew nuts and even pecans!

    Reply
  21. carrie @ frugal foodie mama says

    December 23, 2017 at 12:45 pm

    These sound & look absolutely delicious! What a wonderful treat for the holidays. :)

    Reply
  22. Krista says

    December 23, 2017 at 6:45 am

    These look so good! I would love to snack on them or they would make a great gift!

    Reply
  23. eat good 4 life says

    December 23, 2017 at 6:36 am

    Wow these look awesome. Right up my alley and perfect for the holidays!

    Reply
  24. Nutmeg Nanny says

    December 23, 2017 at 6:02 am

    These almonds look so delicious!

    Reply
  25. Jessica | Novice Chef says

    December 23, 2017 at 5:20 am

    These are the best! We make them every year… there are never any leftovers!

    Reply

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kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Welcome!  I’m Kimberly and I share delicious originals, revitalized classics and authentic dishes from around the world.  Come travel the world through your taste buds!

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure:
The Daring Gourmet is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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