Cinnamon Candied Almonds

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp water
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300ºF.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with coconut oil; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and water until frothy, about 2 minutes; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine almonds and the egg white mixture until well combined. Stir in brown sugar mixture until evenly coated.

Spread almond mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring at halftime.

Let cool completely before serving.

Okay guys, Christmas time is my favorite time of the year because of candied nuts. The mall always smells like what I imagine heaven smells like, and candied nuts are the reason for the season! And they are one of the best thing about BYU football games. Unfortunately, eating candied nuts has become a challenge for me. My jaw always kills me after eating a handful or two. So that, and the fact that my sister had a giant bag of sliced almonds inspired me to make these.

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from martha stewart

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
vanilla bean seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean pod

DIRECTIONS

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a KitchenAid. Using a the whisk attachment, on medium speed, beat the heck out of the ingredients until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and beans, and stir to combine.

Okay guys, I am secretly a #basicwhitegirl, and I was CRAVING pumpkin anything somethin' fierce. So when I signed up to bring a dessert to my ward's linger longer, I knew that pumpkin was going to be the star of the show. But I also needed to add a new recipe to the blog, so I decided to top my Pumpkin Spice Sheet Cake with this delectable Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting. Equal parts butter, cream cheese, with homemade vanilla extract and the seeds from a vanilla bean? I dare say that nothing in this world could be a better combination. I LOVED seeing the little flecks of black from the vanilla bean seeds, and it was big on vanilla flavor thanks to my new found love for making homemade vanilla.