Mandelhäufchen

These Crunchy Almonds are so easy to prepare and taste really good!  One of the ingredients, Läuterzucker, is a sugar solution where sugar and water are cooked together - see recipe below. The good thing is that this sugar solution does not have any expiry date at all!

Ingredients:
800 g almond slivers (Mandelstifte)
2 tbsp Läuterzucker
360 g milk chocolate couverture (Vollmilchkuvertüre)

Method:
Mix almond slivers and Läuterzucker well and place them on a baking tray. Roast in a preheated oven at 200º C for about 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Cool down mixture, still stirring frequently in order that the almond slivers are not sticking together.

Melt chocolate couverture in a bowl over a water bath. Remove bowl from water bath and let it cool down a little. Add in the roasted almond slivers and mix well.  Make small heaps using two tablespoons on a baking tray which is lined with pergament paper.  Leave to stand until they are hardened.  Store between layers of pergament paper in a cake tin.


Läuterzucker Ingredients:
1 kg sugar
1 litre water
1/2 tsp citric acid (Zitronensäure)

Method:
In a pot, add sugar and water.  Then, add citric acid and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.  Pour the hot mixture through a coffee filter into a measuring jug.  Then, add water to reach the 1 litre mark.  Mix well and pour into a bottle with a twist cap. Without refrigeration, this solution will keep for ages!

Happy Baking!