Here is one old and very simple recipe,
        which dates from times when there were no candies or sweets.

             

Traditional Croatian recipes ~ candied almonds

This is the way how our grandmothers used to do it, it was usually made during Christmas time.

In Dubrovnik, candied almonds are called bruštulani mjenduli and they are a typical edible souvenir you might bring back from your trip to the south of Croatia.
They are a widespread Dalmatian sweet treat and as they are so simple to make and easy to store, they can be found in all the food souvenir shops.
However, it’s much cheaper to make your own and if you add a bit of vanilla (steer clear of the liquid extract, use vanilla sugar – its quality may be inferior, but it won’t interfere with the chemistry involved in the caramelization process), it’s also much better. 


Ingredients:

1 cup of almonds 1 cup of plain white granulated sugar 1 cup of water Procedure: Into a wide pan or bowl put all ingredients.
Put on the stove on a stronger fire and while mixing it occasionally let the water boil. Reduce the fire, and constantly mix with a wooden spoon.
The water will slowly evaporate and the sugar syrup will gradually become more intense, and when the moment comes that the sugar begins to crystallize again it will be a little more difficult to mix, but do not give up.
While sugar is crystallizing and constantly sticking around almonds, mix it until they begin to crackle and until all the sugar has stuck to almonds.


Finished almonds put on a baking sheet and let them cool.