Spiced Spanish Almonds

FloridaNative's Note:

Salty, sweet and laced with smoke -- the perfect kind of almond for a party. If any remain the next day, savor them over a salad topped with sliced ripe pears and shaved Manchego cheese. From 'EatingWell.com' and posted for ZWT5. NOTE: Cooling time included in PREP time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

Yield: 12.0 1/4 cup ...

• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika or 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon kosher sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 lb marconaalmonds (about 3 cups) or 1 lb raw whole almond (about 3 cups)
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275°F Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Whisk brown sugar, cumin, paprika, thyme, salt and cayenne in a large bowl.
3. Whisk egg white and water in a medium bowl until foamy.
4. Add almonds to egg mixture and stir to coat; pour through a sieve to drain off excess egg white.
5. Transfer the almonds to the bowl of spices; stir well to coat.
6. Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake the almonds for 30 minutes.
8. Stir, reduce the oven temperature to 200F and bake until almonds are dry and golden, about 30 minutes more.
9. Let cool before serving, 15 to 20 minutes.
10. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
11. NOTE: Spanish Marcona almonds have recently become more popular and more available. They're a little flatter than ordinary almonds, with a richer flavor. Always skinned, most Marcona almonds have already been sauteed in oil and lightly salted when you get them. For this recipe, select unsalted and oil-free nuts if you can, though either will work well. You can find them in specialty stores.

Reviews

[Julie F]

We are big fans of the commercially produced varieties of almonds - cocoa dusted almonds, wasabi soy almonds. But they sure can be expensive! This is a great way to make some gourmet almonds of our own at a much better price! I followed the recipe exactly, but next time I won't hesitate to go a little heavy on the spices. They were milder than I expected them to be, but very delicious! Thanks for sharing!

[Nif]

I used plain, blanched almonds for this so they don't look quite as good but they sure taste great! The cumin is the most prevalent flavour in this recipe. These are a great snack and will be gone in no time!! Made for the Best of 2010 tag game. Thanks FloidaNative! :)

[loof]

Wow these are terrific! A little time-consuming to make but well worth the effort. Perfect balance of sweet and spicy and the smoked paprika is a must - wonderful with the other flavors. Loved these - thanks for sharing the recipe!