Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds are a crunchy, sweet treat made perfectly delicious in the crockpot! These tasty vittles are perfect for snacking, gift giving, and holiday parties. Watch these cinnamon almonds disappear where ever you take them.

Almonds are so yummy, I love using them in my baking. Try them in this Insanely Good Homemade Granola, Almond Roca Cookie Bars or this Almond Joy Poke Cake.

Cinnamon Almonds

Do you know those delicious cinnamon almonds at the mall? Well these are SO much better! And you can make them for about the same price you pay for one of those tiny bags. I LOVED the way this made my house smell! It seriously makes me want to make a batch daily. The brown sugar and cinnamon mixture gives an AMAZING flavor and the perfect crunchiness…. I almost think that the ones at the mall are a little too crunchy. And how perfect are these for gifts for the holidays? I feel like I have to spread the deliciousness of these and give them to all my friends and family!

These are super easy to throw together and let the slow cooker work it’s magic. You do have to stir the almonds every 20 min or so, so don’t set it and forget it. But it’ll be so worth it as you eat these cinnamony little devils. Be careful not to eat them all in one sitting, it’ll be tempting. Trust me.

Cinnamon and Sugar Almond Ingredients

Simple ingredients come together to make a easy treat! These are a MUST make!

• Sugar: White sugar
• Brown Sugar: Helps with caramelization and deep rich flavor.
• Salt: Balances out the sweet.
• Almonds: Raw unsalted plain almonds.
• Cinnamon: The star in the spice combo
• Egg White: Helps the cinnamon and sugar stick and creates crunch
• Vanilla:  Flavor enhancer
• Water: Creates the caramelization at the end.

How to Make Cinnamon and Sugared Almonds

Despite it being the slow cooker you don’t want to necessarily walk away! It will need stirring.

1. Mix: In a large bowl mix together the cinnamon, sugars and salt
2. Whisk: In a separate bowl whisk the vanilla and egg white together till good and frothy.
3. Stir: Pour the almonds into the egg white mixture and stir to coat thoroughly.
4. Coat: Dump the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the almonds and stir to coat.
5. Slow Cook: Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. Place the almonds inside and stir again to make sure all the almonds are covered. Cook on low for 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes
6. Water:  Drizzle the water over the almonds and stir. Cook for another 30 min.
7. Cool: Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pour the almonds on the cookie sheet and spread out evenly. Allow to cool completely before storing.

Why Egg Whites and Water Work

You might be wondering why you need egg whites and water for roasted almonds.

• Egg Whites: The egg white acts as a binder for the flavor to the nuts. It also acts similar to merguine when it hits the heat, creating a fine crunchy coating. It helps prevent an oily vibe from the nuts as well.
• Water: The water creates another binder as well as a sticky shiny coating at the end. You can actually leave out the water if you desire. They’ll still be crunchy, but the coating will be more powdery then sticky.

Tips and Variations

• Nuts: You can substitute out the almonds and use pecans, cashews, walnuts or other nut of choice.
• Add ins: Try adding in flaked coconut, sprinkles, crushed candy cane or anything else that tickles your fancy. Add these right after you’ve removed them from the slow cooker so they’re still warm and it’ll stick.
• Cooling:  The longer you let the almonds cool before bagging or storing the crunchier they’ll stay. Don’t bag or store while warm, they’ll sweat ruining the crunchy cinnamon coating
• Stir: Remember you need to stir these every 20-30 minutes. Keep covered during cooking process
• Leftovers: Chop up leftovers for granola, yogurt, and dessert topping. YUM!

Storing and Gifting!

These are so easy to store and keep, if you can! They are so fun to snack on and munch on while wrapping gifts or enjoying family and friends over. This year give the gift of almonds to all your friends, family and neighbors. It is the perfect treat to share and easy to drop off on a doorstep or add to a gift basket. So many options for these easy cinnamon almonds.

• Giving: Pick up some fun gift giving bags to use for gifting for family and friends. About 1 to 2 cups per bag will make everyone holidays better!
• Storing: It is best to keep them in an air tight bin or bag that is stored in a cool, dry place.

More Slow Cooker Recipes to Try

From dessert to main dishes you can do so much in a slow cooker.

• Slow Cooker Cherry Chocolate Hot Fudge Cake
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
• Crack Chicken in a Slow Cooker
• Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler
• Mongolian Beef in a Slow Cooker

Save

Print

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds

Slow Cooker Cinnamon Almonds are a crunchy, sweet treat made perfectly delicious in the crockpot! These tasty vittles are perfect for snacking, gift giving, and holiday parties. Watch these cinnamon almonds disappear where ever you take them.

Course Appetizer, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cinnamon almonds, slow cooker cinnamon almonds

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Servings 12 Servings

Calories 353kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Egg White
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 Cups Almonds
• 1/8 Cup Water

Instructions

• Mix together in a large bowl sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
• In another bowl with a whisk, mix together the egg white and vanilla until it is frothy. Add the almonds and coat thoroughly. This will help the mixture stick to the almonds during the cooking process.
• Prepare your slow cooker by spraying it with cooking spray. I used a 4 quart. Add the cinnamon almond mixture to the almonds and turn it to low. Stir until the cinnamon sugar mixture is coated well on the almonds. Be prepared for your house to smell amazing!
• You want to cook for about 3-4 hours. Mine took about 3. Stirring every 20 minutes. In the very last hour, add 1/8 cup water and stir well. This will ensure a crunchy coating and help the mixture to harden.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the almonds onto the sheet to cool. The almonds should be pretty sticky so be sure to separate them the best that you can and let them cool!

Video

Notes

Updated on November 27, 2020

Originally Posted on October 12, 2012

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 2mg

from The Recipe Critic https://ift.tt/39laTYD
https://ift.tt/3q1qXoa

The Best Royal Icing Recipe

This classic and simple royal icing recipe is a cookie decorating staple with a smooth consistency that sets quickly without hardening too much. Made with meringue powder it has a delicious taste and a smooth texture that’s perfect for flooding and piping cookies.

Slather this icing over sugar cookies or use it to decorate your gingerbread cookies to perfection. It is simple to make and tastes delicious!

Royal Icing Recipe

There are some recipes I make so often I have them memorized because they’re either classics or ones I truly can’t live without and this royal icing is one of those recipes. Hello, everyone, this is Aimee Mars and I’m excited to celebrate the holidays with as much food as possible and plan on never running out of cookies to decorate.

I absolutely love this royal icing recipe because it’s easy to make and it makes cooking decorating fun for myself as well as my kids. Whether you plan on making beautifully decorated cookies or just want a fun project for your kids this royal icing recipe is for you. I also have a sugar cookie recipe too and I always use this royal icing.

Ingredients in Easy Royal Icing

There are only 3 main ingredients in this royal icing recipe making it extremely easy to prepare. These are also ingredients you can always have on hand too.

• Powdered Sugar
• Meringue Powder
• Water
• Food Coloring (optional)

How to Make Royal Icing

1. Sift the Powdered Sugar: using a sifter or by pouring the powdered sugar through a fine-mesh sieve, sift the powdered sugar.
2. Beat Ingredients: beat all the ingredients using a handheld mixer or an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Check the consistency of the icing and add more water or more powdered sugar if needed.

Do I have to use Meringue Powder?

No. Traditional royal icing contains raw egg whites, which you can use instead of the meringue powder. Though meringue powder still contains egg whites, it’s a little easier to work with. It also creates the same smooth consistency that hardens easily as using egg whites.

What Should the Consistency for royal icing be?

With just 3 main ingredients, powdered sugar, meringue powder, and water, you can easily manipulate this recipe to get a perfect consistency. Sometimes you need to add water and sometimes you need to add powdered sugar. To know if your royal icing is the perfect consistency use the whisk attachment or a spoon to lift or scoop icing out of the bowl. Let it drip back in and if it melts or mixes evenly back in you have the right consistency. If the mixture is too thick and more water 1 tablespoon at a time. If the icing is too thin add more powdered sugar also at 1 tablespoon a time until the correct consistency is reached.

Can this icing be used for flooding and piping?

Yes. This royal icing recipe is extremely easy and can be used for both piping, which is the outlining of the cookie, and flooding, filling it in. The consistency of the icing is just thin enough to easily spread and just thick enough to outline (pipe) the edge of the cookies.

Should I use gel food coloring or liquid food coloring?

For this recipe, I recommend using gel food coloring because you end up with much more vivid coloring and you don’t need to use as much. The liquid food coloring will still work, however, I recommend decreasing the water by about 1 to 2 tablespoons if you choose to use it.

Can this icing be made ahead of time?

Yes! You can make this icing about 2 days ahead of when you plan on using it. Store it in an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge to keep it fresh. Just before using it stir the mixture.

Can I add flavoring or extracts to this icing?

Yes. If you’d like to add a flavor such as vanilla extract to this royal icing you can. Make sure the flavoring isn’t oil-based though. I recommend using about 2 teaspoons of flavor and then decreasing the water by 1 tablespoon.

More Delicious Cookie Recipes

• The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever! 
• Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies 
• Homemade Danish Butter Cookies 
• Best Ever Molasses Cookies

Print

Royal Icing

This classic and simple royal icing recipe is a cookie decorating staple with a smooth consistency that sets quickly without hardening too much. Made with meringue powder it has a delicious taste and a smooth texture that's perfect for flooding and piping cookies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword royal icing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 3 cups

Calories 638kcal

Author Aimee Mars

Ingredients

• 4 cups Powdered Sugar sifted
• 3 tablespoons Meringue Powder
• 9 - 10 tablespoons Water at room temperature
• Gel Food Coloring optional

Instructions

• Sift the powdered sugar first by measuring it out and pouring it through a sifter or by pouring it into a fine-mesh sieve and shaking it through.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld mixer beat all of the icing ingredients together on a high speed for about 2 minutes. Check the icing by lifting the whisk to see if the icing drips back down and smooths easily back into the icing in the bowl. If it does the icing is ready. If the icing is too thick add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too thin add more powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time.

Notes

This royal icing sets or hardens on the iced cookies in about 2 hours' time when sitting on the counter. To speed this up place the iced cookies in the refrigerator.

To keep the icing from hardening while you're decorating a bunch of cookies lay a damp paper towel over the top of the bowl until you're ready to use the remainder.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 160g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 45mg | Sugar: 157g | Iron: 1mg

 

from The Recipe Critic https://ift.tt/2V7Llpp
https://ift.tt/3fH5FYc

Perfect 10 minute Air Fryer Shrimp

This Perfect 10 minute Air Fryer Shrimp is succulent, amazingly seasoned and tender. Get ready because dinner is about to be served!

Serve these Shrimp on a bed of Perfect Instant Pot Rice, or with Easy Fried Rice and some Vegetable Stir Fry for a splendid dinner.

Air Fryer Shrimp

Air Frying is taking the cooking world by storm, and there’s good reason too. It’s quick. Easy clean up, and creates amazing dishes that more healthy for you. If you haven’t tried an air fryer, it’s time to get on the bandwagon! And this shrimp recipe is a golden ticket winner when it comes to flavor and ease.

Marinating the shrimp infuses the flavor into the shrimp. Air frying allows the flavor to remain on the shrimp without burning it too, giving it a nice outer coating. The inside is tender and perfectly seasoned. You don’t need to add anything else. It’s absolutely divine.

Easy Air Fryer Shrimp Ingredients

Quick and easy, but oh so yummy! With this super easy, yet glorious dish, shrimp can be served any day of the week. No more is it reserved for weekends or special events.

• Shrimp: Large or Jumbo Shrimp
• Salt and Pepper: Just to taste
• Olive Oil: Adds a nice mild flavor
• Red Wine Vinegar:  Helps the marinate the flavors into the shrimp
• Garlic: Minced garlic, can used jarred garlic
• Italian Seasoning: A perfect blend of spices.
• Lemon Juice: Lemons and shrimp just go together
• Soy Sauce: Adds the perfect amount of flavor
• Dijon Mustard: A nice kick
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a nice umami tang.

Making Perfect Shrimp

Just a nice marinade to seep the flavor into the shrimp.

1. Season: Salt and Pepper the shrimp to your liking
2. Mix: In a medium sized bowl combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, italian seasoning, lemon juice, soy sauce, dijon mustard and worcestershire sauce. whisk to combine.
3. Marinate: Add in the Shrimp and marinate for at least one hour up to overnight.
4. Drain: Remove the marinade and place in the air fryer basket
5. Cook: Fry at 400 degrees for 8 min or till pink and cooked throughout.

 

Tips for the Best Shrimp

A few tips and tricks will help you have those perfect shrimp every time.

• Frozen: You can definitely use frozen shrimp, make sure they are thawed before you marinate them.
• Overcrowd: Don’t put too many in the air fryer basket. It needs to be able to circulate the hot air around the shrimp to cook them. If you have to cook in batches.
• Flip it: You can flip the shrimp half way through although you don’t have too, it’s a preference
• Tails: Removing the tails is also a preference thing. I left them on.

How do you Know Shrimp is Done?

• Sight: When shrimp turns to that beautiful pink color all over with red tells and the flesh has a nice opaque whiteness to it. It’s done.
• Temp: The internal temp of cooked shrimp is 120 degrees F.
• Over Cook: You don’t want to over cook shrimp. It becomes rubbery so check it before you think it might be done. And remove promptly once it is as it will keep cooking in the fryer if left.
• Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Reheat leftovers in the air fryer, the microwave will make them soggy.

More Shrimp Recipes to Love

Shrimp is really an easy dish and you can make it so many different ways!

• Sticky Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp
• Cajun Popcorn Shrimp
• Awesome Kung Pao Shrimp
• Brown Butter Spicy Garlic Shrimp
• Shrimp Avocado Taco Salad

Print

Air Fryer Shrimp

This Perfect 10 minute Air Fryer Shrimp is succulent, amazingly seasoned and tender. Get ready because dinner is about to be served! 

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Seafood

Keyword air fryer shrimp, air fryer shrimp recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 People

Calories 372kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

• 1 pound large or jump shrimp
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Salt and pepper the shrimp. In a medium sized bowl combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, soy sauce, Dijon Mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the shrimp and let marinate for at least one hour or overnight.
• Remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in the air fryer basket. Cook at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until pink and cooked throughout.

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 286mg | Sodium: 1442mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 21IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 4mg

 

from The Recipe Critic https://ift.tt/37q1HzJ
https://ift.tt/2J9eKx2

Homemade Milano Cookies

Homemade Milano Cookies have tender cookies with a nice crunch sandwiched around a layer of rich dark chocolate in the center! They taste even better than the store bought version!

When it comes to holiday baking, nothing says love like homemade. Some of our other favorite cookies are Homemade Butter Cookies and Chocolate Peppermint Dipped Shortbread Cookies.

Milano Cookies from Scratch

When it comes to store bought, packaged cookies, Pepperidge Farms makes some of my favorites. Like their wonderful milano cookies that have a light, buttery crunch and a snap from a good amount of dark chocolate in the center. But although it’s easy to pick up a bag at the store, I wanted to recreate them at home since I almost always prefer homemade over store bought anyway. Not only did these cookies turn out absolutely fabulous, they were fun to make too!

Milano Cookie Ingredients

• Butter: I used salted butter.
• Sugar: a combination of both regular granulated and powdered sugar does the trick for helping recreate the classic texture of the milanos we know and love.
• Vanilla extra: you could even go the extra mile and use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean seeds so you get that gorgeous little black speckles.
• Eggs plus an extra egg white: adding an extract egg white along with the whole eggs helps given the airy structure to these crunchy cookies.
• All purpose flour: of course you need some sort of flour to create cookies and these ones just need the regular all purpose variety.
• Baking soda: Just a bit helps the cookies rise slightly in the oven.
• Salt: a little salt helps bring out all the other flavors and keep the cookies from tasting bland.
• Dark Chocolate: Use high quality chocolate that you chop yourself rather than trying to melt some chocolate chips. Trader Joe’s sells really excellent dark chocolate for a great price and it’s what I used here.

How to Make Homemade Milano Cookies

1. Prep work: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine wet ingredients: Beat butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until creamy and light. Add the eggs, egg white, and vanilla extract and beat again.
3. Add dry ingredients: Add the flour, salt, and baking soda, mixing on low speed just until combined. Try not to overwork the dough or these cookies might turn out tough instead of light.
4. Pipe the cookies onto parchment paper: Transfer the sticky dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe 2-inch lines a couple inches apart on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. The cookies will spread a bit, so leave enough space that they won’t touch while the bake.
5. Bake: These cookies take 13-15 minutes per batch to bake just until the edges are barely turning golden brown. Cool completely.
6. Melt chocolate: You can melt it in a glass bowl over a double boiler, or if you are careful, in the microwave using short 20 second bursts of heat, stirring between each burst of heat until melted and smooth. Continue to stir the melted chocolate as it cools to help temper the chocolate for a better snap between the cookies and so the sandwiched halves don’t slide apart.
7. Fill the cookies: Spread melted, tempered chocolate onto the bottom of one of the cookies. You want a generous amount of chocolate, but not so much that it’s spilling off the sides. Gently press another cookie on top. Repeat with the remaining cookies, then let them sit until the chocolate has set completely.

Tips and Variations

• Piping: I find that a piping bag with a tip is the easiest for me when working with this soft dough, but a large, heavy-duty zip-tight bag with the corner cut off would also work.
• Filling the bag: It helps to use a tall cup and place your piping bag down into it with the upper part of the bag folded over the top. Then you can just use a rubber spatula to transfer the dough to the bag.
• Mint milanos: If you want to make mint milanos, try adding 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the melted chocolate. If you want the mint flavor to be even stronger, just add more of the mint extract!
• Other milano flavors: Pepperidge Farms makes quite a few other milano flavors and often has seasonal varieties like candy cane or pumpkin spice. Some of our favorites are coconut, raspberry, orange, and milk chocolate milanos, although there are others that we still haven’t tried. You can try using flavored oils or extracts to achieve some of these other flavors like orange or lemon.

How Long Will These Cookies Keep?

These homemade milano cookies won’t keep as long as the store bought variety because they are made with only real ingredients and lacking preservatives. Store them in an airtight container on the counter for 5-7 days.

You could also freeze them for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe bag. Just thaw on the counter before enjoying.

More Amazing Cookie Recipes

• Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• White Chocolate Oreo Cookies
• Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies (No Bake)
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
• Buttery Lemon Shortbread Cookies with a Glaze
  

  Print

  Homemade Milano Cookies

  Homemade Milano Cookies have tender cookies with a nice crunch sandwiched around a layer of rich dark chocolate in the center! They taste even better than the store bought version!

  Course Dessert

  Cuisine American

  Keyword homemade milano cookies, milano cookies

  Prep Time 15 minutes

  Cook Time 14 minutes

  Total Time 29 minutes

  Servings 24 milanos

  Calories 228kcal

  Author Amy Nash

  Ingredients

  • 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 egg white, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

  Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Beat the butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2-3 minutes until creamy and light. Add the eggs, egg white, and vanilla extract, then beat again, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
  • Add the flour and salt, mixing just until combined.
  • Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Pipe 2-inch lines a couple inches apart on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets, leaving enough room for the cookies to spread a bit in the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes just until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies and cool completely.
  • Meanwhile, melt the chopped chocolate in a glass bowl set over, but not touching, simmering water in a pan, or in the microwave using short 20 second bursts of heat until melted and smooth.
  • Gently spread some of the melted chocolate onto the bottom side of half of the cookies, then sandwich with another cookie on top. The melted chocolate will firm up and set as it cools.
  • Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.

  Nutrition

  Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 173mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 263IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 2mg

from The Recipe Critic https://ift.tt/3l23zDj
https://ift.tt/2JbdQQP