Cinnamon Sugar Almonds

There are some smells in this world that can literally stop a person in their tracks.  For me, those smells involve anything with cinnamon and sugar.

Cinnabon cinnamon rolls in the mall.
Cinnamon sugar raisin bread in the toaster.
Cinnamon sugar pretzels at Auntie Anne's.
And of course, the worst culprit of them all, any type of cinnamon sugar coated nut: almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc., at any place that sells them!

My mom LOVES these nuts.  We often give them to her as gifts for birthdays or holidays.  And, she loves the nuts for a damn good reason.  They are awesome!  So, gift ideas were in the back of my head as I mixed them up.  :)

I see smell these nuts all the time.  At amusement parks, the mall, at Farmer's Markets, outside grocery stores, right in the middle of Vail Village in Colorado(?).  ("What an awesome day of skiing up on the mountains... I think it's time to buy some roasted nuts!")  But obviously, these things are sold anywhere because people will buy them, and I must admit that I purchased nuts in Vail Village before.  Seriously, once you smell them (often from a mile away), you subconsciously head in their general direction and inevitably purchase some.

So, one random Saturday morning, I was super excited to mix up my very own batch of cinnamon sugar coated almonds.  The kitchen smelled like a carnival, Ron wandered in from wherever he was and said "It smells awesome in here!," I took a bite of one of these almonds, then another, maybe a few more... and all was right in the world.

Cinnamon Sugar Almonds
from here
Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• 3 cups almonds
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white or turbinado sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Beat the egg white and water until frothy and foamy, prior to reaching the "soft peak" stage.
3. Add in nuts and stir to coat. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix together sugars, cinnamon and sea salt.
5. Stir into the egg and nut mixture until well coated.
6. Grease a large jelly roll pan or baking sheet with the melted butter.
7. Spread nuts in a single layer and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hr and 15 minutes, stirring every 20-25 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, stir to loosen from sheet.
9. Enjoy!