Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Bet You Can’t Eat Just One


I love snacking on raw almonds but they can be a bit boring. So I took one of my favorite snacks and turned it into a party munchie for the upcoming kitchen christening. The problem is, there may not be any left by the time the party rolls around because they are just that good.


I wanted a spicy almond, something that had a little bit of kick to it. A little fire, a little crunch, a great combination. I call them South of the Border Spiced Almonds and they are tasty. They leave just a little burn in the mouth, along with a bit of garlic, but will pair well with both the Coronas and the sangria. Yummmmmm.


I took raw almonds and used the egg white method of adherence, then experimented with different spices and seasonings. It didn’t take long to come up with a winning combination and they really are very easy to make. You can substitute regular chili powder for the chipotle chili powder for less kick, add more chili powder or chili flakes for more heat, a little minced fresh rosemary for an additional flavor. I was trying to figure out a way to add some lemon to the mixture, but couldn’t. Although I think that a bit of lemon or lime might add a bit of tang.


I’ll be serving them on Saturday and my guess is that there won’t be any left at the end of the night.


South of the Border Spiced Almonds

1 pound raw almonds

1 egg white

1 T water

1 T chipotle chili powder

2 t chili flakes

2 t garlic powder

1 T dried garlic minced garlic

1 T sugar

1 T seasoning salt


Preheat oven to 250 degrees and spray a large rimmed sheet with Pam.


Whisk the egg white and water until very foamy. There should be little liquid left. Add in the almonds and stir with spoon to coat each almond. Pour into strainer to remove excess liquid. Leave in strainer for a minute or two.


Mix up all the spices in a small bowl. Pour drained almonds into a dry bowl and spinkle with spice mixture. Stir well with a spoon to evenly distribute. Place almonds onto baking sheet, being careful to make sure there is only one layer and they are not too crowded.


Bake for 40 minutes. Turn almonds over using a spatula, spreading out into a single layer. Bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and loosen almonds from pan with spatula. Let cool on pan.

2 comments:

Daydreamer Desserts said...

These sound amazing! If you can't eat just one, they will probably make good bake sale items... right? :)

Mrs. B said...

Absolutely. You can get the almonds fairly reasonably at Trader Joes (1 lb bags) or Costco (3 lb bags) or in bulk at Whole Foods. You can make them as spicy or mild as you want, and even add in special touches like minced fresh rosemary. Tied up in a cute clear bag, they would sell right away if you left samples out for people. And they are really easy to make. I made a second batch because the first is almost gone!