Spiced Spanish Almonds

Submitted by kitty.rock

"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."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Yields: 12 1/4 cup servings
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1⁄4 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
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 lb marcona almonds (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

[Muffin Goddess]

Loved these! Liked that they had a little kick, but not too much of one. This was my first time trying Marcona almonds, too -- I like them so much better than the garden-variety almonds! I'm pretty sure DH is going to wipe these out pretty darn quick, good thing I snagged some before I left for work, lol. Thanks for posting! Made by a fellow Honey for ZWT8

 

[Sharon123]

Loved the sweet and spicy flavors int he almonds. I halved the recipe and ate them while watching the Olympics. THanks! Made for the Herbaceous Curvaceous Honeys for ZWT Spain-2012.

 

[Ma Field]

Spicy, sweet and delicious! They went on my snack tray for watching the Summer Games and flew faster than Ryan Lochte swims!<br/>Can't wait to make some for Christmas gifts. Enjoyed by Herbaceous Honey teammate for ZWT8.

 

[diner524]

OMG are these ever addictive!!!! Really loved the combination of flavors, sweet, salty, spicy. I also liked that they wasn't any added fats. This is definitely a keeper and I was already asked for the recipe from my DS's girlfriend. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Made for ZWT 8.

 

[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!