One of the first treats I buy at the fair is always sugar glazed almonds. So I decided to try my hand at making my own, in the solar oven of course.  I took a big batch to work as a treat for my co-workers. The jar came back home completely empty.

Sugar Glazed Almonds

4 cups whole almonds
1 egg white
1 tsp water
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon (opt)

Set the solar oven out to pre-heat while you prepare the recipe.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white and water until it is light and frothy.  Pour the almonds into the pan and pour the egg whites over the almonds. Stir until all of the almonds are coated.  Mix the sugar, salt, and the cinnamon together and pour over the almonds, stirring to coat evenly.  Spread the almonds evenly in the pan and place into the pre-heated solar oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Bake uncovered. Stir the nuts half way through cooking so that all of the nuts will cook evenly. Bake until the sugar melts into a nice golden glaze. Let the nuts cool and then store in an airtight container.

My almonds baked for 1 1/4 hours on a beautiful sunny 90º day.  The hottest my oven reached was 275º.  If this were baked in a regular oven, the dry heat would help nuts bake nice and crispy.  But in a solar oven, moisture from the food cannot escape. It remains in the oven. Since I wanted my nuts to be crispy, I did not close down the oven lid tight. Instead, I stuck a small twig between the lid and the oven to create a small air gap so the moisture could escape.  Of course, I also lost some heat though the vent as well, a small trade off to have crispy nuts.

Other great recipes to try:

Pizza Crackers

Simple Cheese Danish