Prepare:

1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Don’t skip this—the sugar will stick without it!
2. Prepare Almonds: If your almonds have skins and you prefer them without (optional), blanch them briefly in boiling water, drain, and slip off skins. Most people leave skins on for extra nutrition and easier prep.

Mix Coating:

3. Whisk Egg White: In a large mixing bowl, add the egg white. Whisk vigorously with a fork or whisk until it becomes frothy and slightly bubbly, about 30 seconds. It should look foamy but doesn’t need to be stiff peaks—just frothy enough to coat the almonds.
4. Add Almonds: Add the raw almonds to the frothy egg white. Stir and toss with a spatula or large spoon until every almond is evenly coated with the egg white. The almonds should look shiny and wet.
5. Mix Sugar and Cinnamon: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and salt (if using). Stir well to distribute the cinnamon evenly throughout the sugar—no streaks of cinnamon or plain sugar should remain.
6. Coat Almonds: Pour the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the egg-white-coated almonds. Toss and stir thoroughly until every almond is completely coated with the cinnamon sugar. The mixture will seem clumpy at first—keep stirring! It will eventually coat all the almonds evenly.

Roast:

7. Spread on Pan: Pour the coated almonds onto your prepared baking sheet. Spread them into a single layer as much as possible—they can touch but shouldn’t be piled up. Use your spatula to separate any that are stuck together.
8. Bake: Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. The stirring is important! At the 10-minute mark, use a spatula to toss and redistribute the almonds. This ensures even roasting and prevents burning.
9. Check for Doneness: After 20 minutes, the almonds should be fragrant, toasted, and the coating should look dry rather than wet. The sugar will be caramelized and the almonds will be golden. If they still look wet, bake for another 5 minutes.

Cool:

10. Cool on Pan: Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet, about 15-20 minutes. As they cool, they’ll become crispy and crunchy. Don’t try to remove them while hot—they’ll stick!
11. Break Apart: Once completely cool, use your hands or a spatula to break apart any almonds that stuck together. They should separate easily once cool.
12. Serve or Store: Enjoy immediately, or transfer to an airtight container for storage.