Back when I first went to Germany as a 17 year old I remember having gebrannte Mandeln, cinnamon almonds, for the first time. At the time they weren’t common in the United States, these days you see them in malls, tourist sites and other places. I remember my love for them, fresh and warm wrapped in the paper cone. Cinnamon and almonds, what could be better?!
These almonds are a grown up version, dark chocolate almonds laced with cayenne pepper. I have been known to buy the chocolate almonds available at stores and hoard them. I cringe when anyone else in the family wants them. I hide them so nobody will easily find them. What can I say, some things I just like to keep to myself. Nobody else appreciates them like I do. The boys just throw them in their mouths as fast as they can eat them. I, on the other hand, eat one almond at a time, savoring every single taste.
Since our schedule has been a little crazy with swim lessons I wanted to have a high protein and portable snack, more so for me after my workout than for the kids. Let’s just say I don’t get to hoard this treat as I planned! Sean was already wise to my plans since he went with me to the store to buy the almonds from the bulk section. He was already begging for some before we got to the car. I held him off while we ran one more errand and then he was eating almonds out of the bag at the back of the car!
As I was making the almonds Sean and Ewan noticed and had to watch everything. Sean was already very excited since he saw chocolate, his absolute favorite food. Ewan heard me say they would be spicy and he wanted some right away. I managed to finish them without anybody getting their fingers on them before they were done which is a near miracle in this house! Of course I did have to share them after swim lessons, though I fed my little birdies with open mouths to minimize the chocolate hands they would get. They aren’t exactly the neatest eaters around!
They turned out just as I was hoping. Rich dark chocolate with a kick coating an almond. And BONUS, this is a healthy snack, right?! Almonds are a good source of protein and dark chocolate is good for your heart among other things so this must be a health snack. Ok, portion control is critical! That would be why I put some in the cute polka dot bag, just the right portion size. I can only say this a delicous snack with a spicy kick that is good for you when you show control, please don’t eat the entire bowl!! Next time I’m thinking of putting in cinnamon instead of cayenne pepper… I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Spicy Chocolate Almonds
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 oz. roasted and salted almonds
2 tsp. dark cocoa powder
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and stir in the cayenne pepper. Add the almonds and stir well to thoroughly cover the nuts in choclate. Spread out the almonds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread them out well or they will stick together, unless of course you want almond clusters, also quite tasty. Place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to set the chocolate. Place the almonds in a bowl and add the cocoa powder. Toss well to coat evenly. If desired, put the nuts in a fine sieve to remove any excess cocoa powder. Store in an airtight container.
Yields 8 servings
Feeding My 3 Sons 
Three of my favorite things 🙂 I love dark chocolate, almonds and cayenne. What a perfect snack, thank you for sharing this. I will make these!
I hope you enjoy them. Those are definitely three of my favorite things too!
I’m sure I will and in the meantime I’m telling everyone about your recipe already 🙂
Thanks for spreading the word! Have some gebrannte Mandeln for me. Boy do I miss them, among other things!
I will as soon as we go to a fair or market where they have them!
Oh wow I LOVE these and your photos of them in that cute dotty bag are just stunning! They look so pretty yet rustic and – like you said – they’re healthy. Definitely making some for nibbling on 🙂
The boys certainly enjoy the little snack bags too! So simple and yet so tasty, my kind of snack.
This is AWESOME! Making them asap. Laughed that you hide your stash and cringe when other folks in your household want them. heehee 😀
The things I have to do around here to get what I want! If I don’t hide something I really want it will be gone before I get to it! Survival of the sneakiest:)
This is amazing! spice and chocolate are formidable companions…my favorite chocolate truffles are actually chili and chocolate ! 🙂 love this….
Thanks! I do so love spicy chocolate.
I love your memories behind this dish and the cute story about your kids. Yes, chocolate is messy! 🙂 This week I made a flourless brownie concoction, covered in almonds. We always make similar things, states away. I am have serious pregnancy chocolate cravings and happen to have lots of nuts and dark chocolate on the hand. I suppose I must test your gorgeous, delectable recipe, Gretchen. 😉
Thanks for the compliment. Funny how we seem to frequently make similar dishes! Congrats on your pregnancy, how far along are you? I can’t blame my chocolate cravings on pregnancy, I just love chocolate!
I remember those paper cones: used to wrap candy in Europe. Chocolate, salted almonds and a kick of cayenne? who would not want to hide that from everybody else? I would do the same. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.The photos and the presentation looks great. Have a lovely weekend!
Thanks for the compliments Liz. Glad to know I am not the only one to hide food! I have also been known to forget I hid something and find it months later!
I hide nuts, chocolates, and many other things…don’t worry. You’re not alone! and the months later stunt…that is me…i forget so much too!
Sometimes finding something I hid months later is like hiding a hidden treasure. Unfortunately, when it is a fresh baked item gone bad it isn’t so pleasant!
Yum, your blog made me hungry!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You had me chuckling throughout and I would have been happy with just the tale. The recipe, though, is a bonus and a good one. Come to think of it, I’ve got all of the ingredients to make these. Portion control will be a big problem, though. Your boys and I have a lot in common in that regard. 🙂
Nuts are a very tricky snack when it comes to portion control!
Hi – popping over from your peanut & chipotle cookie post. These sound divine! I have bookmarked them to have a go for Christmas gifts. cheers!
A great spicy sweet bite, enjoy!