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Blanched Almond Fritters

A sweet fritter made from blanched almonds coated in a glucose‑sugar glaze.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓

Blanched Almond Fritters

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the almonds

  1. Blanch the almonds by scalding them in hot water for about 5 minutes, then run cold water over them until thoroughly cooled.

  2. Drain the water and press the almonds between your fingers to slip off the skins.

  3. Place the skinned almonds behind a furnace to dry.

Make the candy

  1. Combine glucose, sugar, grease, and water in a copper kettle, and mix the mixture with a paddle.

  2. Insert a thermometer when the mixture starts to boil.

  3. Remove the mixture from heat when it reaches 280°F (138°C).

Form the fritters

  1. Add the blanched almonds and salt to the mixture, then stir until the nuts and candy are well combined.

  2. Remove from heat and dump the mixture onto a well-greased slab.

  3. Manipulate the mixture as you would for pecan fritters.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,679 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Valencia almonds
Make up the bulk of the fritter and provide its crunchy, nutty texture.
Glucose
Inhibits sugar crystallisation, keeping the candy smooth rather than grainy.
Sugar
Provides sweetness and, as it cooks, the structure that sets the candy.
Grease
Adds fat for richness and helps keep the candy tender and easy to handle.

The step that matters

Removing the mixture from heat at 280°F (138°C). The final sugar temperature sets the candy's texture once cooled. Removing it too early leaves the mixture soft and sticky, while cooking too long makes it hard and brittle.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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