Lavender Marcona Almonds – A Seasonal Gift Idea

I have made these almonds many times but have not posted the recipe. ‘Tis the season to be sharing some of these wonderful gift ideas, besides the holiday cookies I have been making. Even if you are not a baker, you can manage this recipe readily. No special skill is required, just the desire for something homemade from the heart. As delicious handcrafted gifts go, this one tops the list. It’s easy and fast to put together with only a handful of ingredients, although dried lavender is one of the special ingredient you can’t do without for the flavoring. If you really need to substitute, I believe zest from an orange or a lemon could be as interesting. For something spicy, I’d be inclined to add wasabi.

I grow a profusion of lavender plants along my front walk that attract bees and curious onlookers. They do double duty – ornamental and culinary. I love the scent of lavender when they bloom in the summer and harvest them for my baking. I have enough dried lavender to last me until next summer. It may sound odd. Several of my favorite cakes require lavender; I wouldn’t want to be out of them.

These lavender almonds are sugary and salty and fatty, but you need a good amount of willpower to resist them. This is an indulgent and winning gift that you’d want to make again and again.