If you ask any of my family or close friends, my most prominent love language is gift giving. Most years I like to have a majority, if not all my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. This year - that totally didn't happen. It's 10 days away and I have NOTHING for my new husband. Sometimes that happens, right? 

We live in a set of townhomes in Denver and I love to make treats for our neighbors. Usually I make a few batches of cookies, but this year I wanted to change it up and make it even easier, so I went with Cinnamon Roasted Almonds. 

Recipe is from Sugar Salted here. 

The best thing is, you probably have everything you need for this recipe in your pantry, besides a pound of almonds - but maybe you have those? I doubled it to make four gifts and have some leftover for us to enjoy here - because it is SO hard to package these things up without taste-testing.

I definitely recommend getting this many almonds in bulk. I was at Whole Foods getting stuff for dinner thinking I should just grab everything I needed, but as soon as I saw the price and how many bags of them I would need - I knew I needed to go to Sprouts. I got 2 lbs for the price of an 8 ounce bag at WF.

Favorite thing about this recipe? Besides how easy it is and how pretty you can package it up? The way your home smells when you roast sugar and cinnamon coated almonds. Yes, yes, please.

Once you get them out of the oven and have snacked on a few handfuls (ideally while still warm and heavenly), it's time to make them festive.

I got cute gift bags and tags from Target, but you can find them all over this time of year. A cute clear bag would be beautiful tied up with pretty ribbon, too. In all reality, Target was sold out of pretty much everything and I got the last of these cute tags. I had to get the bags in the Birthday section... but they turned out. Presentation is key with simple, homemade gifts.

Now you get to enjoy passing them out to your loved ones, neighbors and friends! Merry Christmas!

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds (adapted from Sugar Salted)
Recipe

Ingredients

• 2/3 c. white granulated sugar
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 pounds of whole, raw almonds (or other nuts you like)
• 1 egg white, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (higher quality is ALWAYS worth it)
• 2 teaspoons water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a bowl mix the sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. In another bowl beat the egg white with water and vanilla bean paste, just until frothy but not stiff.
4. Add the almonds and stir until all are coated. Sprinkle with sugar mixture and toss until evenly coated.
5. Spread on the baking sheet, in a single layer.
6. Bake almonds for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (about 3 times).
7. Remove from oven and let almonds cool. Then separate those that are sticking together and store almonds in an airtight container or glass jar. Or, if you're making gifts, store them in bags tied with a ribbon!