The Algarve is famous for its almond trees, and the nuts show up everywhere in its sweets: in Dom Rodrigo (recipe on the site), in Morgado de Figos (recipe on the site), and, simplest of all, coated in hard, shiny sugar and piled into little paper cones at fairs and Christmas markets. Amêndoas cobertas are the Portuguese answer to Italian wedding almonds, except the Algarve version leans into color: pink, yellow, white, sometimes a startling blue.
This is candy-making more than baking, which means it rewards patience rather than skill. You build layer after layer of sugar syrup onto warm almonds, stirring constantly, until a thin coating becomes a thick, crackable shell. It feels a lot like a kitchen science experiment.
They keep for weeks in a tin, which makes them one of the few holiday treats you can make well ahead. Pile them into a jar tied with ribbon and you have a homemade gift that looks like it came from a shop on a cobblestone street in Loulé.
Amêndoas Cobertas Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole raw almonds, skin on
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional, for a spiced batch)
- Gel food coloring in your choice of colors (pink, yellow, white, blue are traditional)
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, for the final dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until warm and fragrant but not browned; keep them warm, as warm nuts take the sugar coating much better than cold ones.
- In a wide, heavy skillet or a copper candy pan if you have one, combine the sugar and water over medium heat. Stir just until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and let it come to a boil.
- Add the warm almonds to the syrup all at once. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir constantly with a wooden spoon; the syrup will look wet and pooling at first, then start to look sandy and crystallized as the water evaporates, this is normal and exactly what you want.
- Keep stirring over low heat; the sugar will melt again into a thin caramel coating the nuts unevenly. Continue stirring patiently, letting each pass build another thin layer, until the almonds are evenly coated in a matte, opaque sugar shell, about 15 to 20 minutes total from when the almonds went in.
- If coloring the almonds, divide the hot coated almonds into small bowls right before they fully cool and set, and quickly toss each batch with a few drops of gel food coloring while still slightly warm and tacky; work fast, as the sugar shell hardens quickly.
- Spread the finished almonds in a single layer on parchment paper or a silicone mat to cool and harden completely, about 20 minutes, breaking apart any that stick together while still warm.
- Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to a month; dust with a little powdered sugar before serving if you like a soft, frosted look.
Enjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
