Two friends who visited the Christkindl markets in Vienna and assorted ones in Austria and Germany this year gushed so much that I kicked myself for not heading downtown to the Chicago Christkindl Market which is always “wunderbar!” And a very good friend, a native of Vienna, related to me that he visits the Vienna market each year for warm Gluhwein and Gebrannte Mandeln or “burnt nuts.” So I couldn’t stop thinking about the Gebrannte Mandeln in their cute little red and white stripe cones. I tried several recipes until I think I found one that could be made at home and still tastes almost exactly like the ones made at the markets. The best part is that it is so simple and I was able to avoid the high price of the nuts and the crowds.
Our father has roots in Alsace, France and after eating these, he told me that his Mom who was 100% French, always made these for him. He said that these taste exactly like the ones that she would make for him. So I think we’re on to something genuine here.
Above – My homemade German Roasted Candied Pecans. So easy.
The best tasting, most authentic recipe for homemade “burnt nuts” or German Roasted Candied Pecans that I found was from Southern Fatty:
Prep time Cook time Total time Serves: 3 cups.
- 3 cups pecans, raw, halved
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar, white granulated
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- ¼ cup sugar, white granulated
-
1 tablespoon corn syrupInstructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (preferred) or parchment paper.
- In a large sauté pan (with taller, straight sides), combine sugars, water, cinnamon, salt.
- Heat over medium heat until it boils.
- Add pecans and vanilla.
- Stir vigorously and continuously. Don’t stop stirring!
- Keep stirring (good arm workout) until you see the liquid all evaporates and the pecans are left with a dry-looking coating (see blog pictures for an example).
- Reduce heat slightly.
- Continue stirring (constantly) until you see the sugar coating start to melt. This may take a few minutes.
- Add the final glaze ingredients (sugar and syrup) once the sugar coating has started to melt on the nuts.
- Stir in well until glossy and coated.
- Turn out pecans onto prepared pan in a single layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes to roast the nuts. This step is critical to preventing softened pecans.
- Remove and cool completely.
- Enjoy! – More recipes on SouthernFATTY.com
I also found genuine Christkindl Gluhwein at Aldi. It’s delicious too! I think we have two new Christmas traditions! Try the Gebrannte Mandeln and warm up some Gluhwein and relive the charming Christkindl markets from the “old country.” Cheers!
Star Evans formerly Mona Lisa Boutique 