Blanch almonds have their skins removed. You can buy them pre-blanched from the store, usually in the form of slivered almonds, though these tend to be more expensive. Or you can blanch them yourself.
Total time: 15 minutes
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Put the almonds in the water and reduce the heat, boiling them for no longer than a minute, or they will get soft and soggy. Strain out the water then put the almonds in a bowl of cold water to arrest the cooking process. Once completely cooled, strain them again. To remove the skins, hold the almond between your thumb and forefinger and squeeze. Their skins should come of very easily, so if they are stubborn the almonds probably weren't cooked long enough or haven't cooled long enough. If this is the case, either start over or just use the almonds with the skins; its not worth trying to scrape off each skin. The almonds will probably shoot everywhere when you remove the skins, so I recommend doing this in a large bowl, pointing the almonds down so they will not end up all over your counter.
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