Blanched Almonds

Blanched almonds are so easy to make, you'll wonder why you spend time searching the grocery store aisles looking for them!  They are useful in Almond Apricot Bars, among other things.  I always make more than the recipe calls for to snack on.  Watch these carefully towards the end of toasting them to ensure that you don't burn them. 

Notes:
I didn't say how many cups of water or almonds because this is one of those recipes where you just throw the almonds in the pot with some water and bring it to a boil.  It's kind of like making pasta, except you only boil the almonds for 1 minute, and then you chill them in an ice bath.  If there is a little bit of skin that won't come off the almond, I use a small paring knife to gently scrape it away.  Leftover skins can show up as dark flecks in your cookies. 

Ingredients:
almonds
water

Tools:
pot
strainer
ice bath
baking sheet

Boil, Chill, Skin, Bake:
Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350°F.  Prepare an ice bath by placing some ice and cold water in a medium-sized bowl, and set aside.  Put the almonds in medium-sized pan, and fill the pan half-way with water.  Bring the water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, allow it to boil for exactly one minute.  Remove the pan from the heat, and pour the almonds out into a strainer like you would for pasta.  Transfer the strained (and boiled) almonds to the ice bath.  Once the almonds have chilled for a minute or two, pick an almond up and squeeze it at one end.  The almond should pop right out of its skin.  Discard the skins, and place the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350°F for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they are dry.  If the recipe calls for toasted blanched almonds, leave them in the oven for another 2-5 minutes, or until they are a light gold color.  Watch them carefully for the last few minutes to ensure that you do not burn them.  Once they are finished baking, transfer the toasted almonds to a plate so that they do not continue to cook on the hot baking sheet. Pin It