Monday, December 17, 2012

Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Almonds ($0.36 per oz.)




$0.36 per ounce          39% savings          save $16.80 yearly


First off... you will love these almonds.

And secondly... you will LOVE THESE ALMONDS!!

Every year (around this time of year) I start thinking about what I want to make for the "Christmas goody plates" I take around to my neighbors. Generally, my plates involve cookies or bars of some sort. This year, I got off that well-beaten, much-loved path, and attempted something new: homemade caramels, easy (but deliciously-rich) fudge, and these cinnamon and brown sugar-coated almonds. 

So.

Good.

If you really want to "WOW" your neighbors, these babies will do the trick.

These almonds were a snap to make. Seriously... my, "Is paprika some sort of fish?" husband could have made them. (Sorry, Honey.) I loved that the prep time took all of 5 minutes. I also loved that it made a LOT for very little effort. This recipe, from Nancy Durtschi, was featured in my old hometown cookbook.

*Side Note: I grew up in Carey, Idaho... population 500-something... plus all the cows.

The only change I made to the original recipe was to add more cinnamon, because I love-a-me lotsa cinnamon! 

In the end, maybe half of the double batch I made ended up on the goody plates. I simply couldn't bear to part with all of those cinnamon-sweet bits of goodness. I know... not very Christmasy of me.

Unfortunately, these things are so delicious that my rationale for good eating habits has flown out the window.

Betcha can't guess what I ate for breakfast today!

*Sigh*

Wo is me... I'll just have to whip up another batch. 



Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Almonds
Printable Version

*Makes approx. 3 cups


INGREDIENTS
1 egg white
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (16 oz) bag raw almonds (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, whip the egg white and vanilla until very frothy. Stir in the almonds until well coated.

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the egg-coated almonds into the cinnamon sugar mixture and mix well.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or coat with non-stick spray) and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until dry (about 45 - 50 minutes). Store in an airtight container.


~ Savings ~


Cost Breakdown
1 dozen eggs - $1.79 = 12 eggs = $0.15/egg = $0.15
8 fl. oz. imitation vanilla - $0.98 = 48 tsp = $0.0204/tsp = $0.0204
1 (16 oz. bag) raw almonds - $5.98
7 lb. brown sugar - $5.05 = 264 T = $0.019/T = $0.152
10 lb. sugar - $5.58 = 378 T = $0.015/T = $0.060
26 oz. salt - $0.42 = $122.75 tsp. = $0.003/tsp = $0.003
18 oz. cinnamon - $6.69 = 230 tsp. = $0.029/tsp. = $0.058
Total Recipe Cost: $6.42
Cost per Ounce: $0.36 

The Contender:
Blue Diamond Natural Cinnamon Brown Sugar Almonds (6 pk of 8 oz.) = $28.11 
Cost per Ounce: $0.59

Savings:
39%

"Over a year" scenario:
Make Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Almonds 4 times = $25.68
Use Equivalent Blue Diamond Cinnamon Brown Sugar Almonds = $42.48

*Money Saved: $16.80


9 comments:

  1. I can't wait to make these! My husband has become obsessed with maple-glazed almonds and we are having a difficult time finding them. He recently tried a cinnamon glazed almond at Gertrude Hawk chocolates which he really liked. This is a much less expensive version which will allow me to keep his almond habit supplied! Thanks!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is the same recipe I used for my glazed pecans! My pecans would be even cheaper, though, because my husband and kids gathered several LARGE brown grocery bags of pecans this year. They then shelled them and I glazed them and we gave them for Christmas gifts. They were sooooo delicious! My husband has told me this is going to be a requirement job for me every Christmas!

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  3. I make homemade granola, and I like to have some things on hand to add to it for variety. I had another more complicated recipe for similar almonds, but rarely made it because it was so time consuming. It's a shame because I love them so much, but I think this will work perfectly in its place. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are more than welcome!! You're going to love 'em. Let me know how they turn out for you!

      Delete
  4. Do the almonds have to be raw? What's the difference with regular almonds?

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the slow reply. My family just moved to a new state, and we've had a tough time getting the internet hooked up. By "raw almonds" I simply mean almonds that haven't been salted/roasted, flavored, etc. Hope that helps!

      Delete
  5. You can make these in a slow cooker too and they turn out great! Just do as the recipe says but place in a greased slow cooker for up to 3 hours on low. Stir every 20 mins.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These are delicious! They are so good that you have to portion them out or you would gooble them all up! I made them using a little less sugar than recipe called for but they were still OMGoodness good! I will try them in the slow cooker like another person posted on their comment..I'm trying out a lot of your recipes..so far all of them have been easy and economical and delicious! Thank you so much! ...Becky :)

    ReplyDelete

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