Good Food Hunting

I’ve made this snack dish before. Its quick prep and you can store the almonds in an airtight container for up to a week.

Fair warning: these things are addictive!!

From Eating Well Magazine

Spiced Spanish Almonds

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. Whisk egg white and water in a medium bowl until foamy. Add almonds and stir to coat; pour through a sieve to drain off excess egg white. Transfer the almonds to the bowl of spices; stir well to coat. Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
• 3. Bake the almonds for 30 minutes. Stir, reduce the oven temperature to 200° and bake until the almonds are dry and golden, about 30 minutes more. Let cool before serving, about 20 minutes.

Notes: **I used smoked paprika as that’s what I have (or regular paprika). The differences aren’t real clear to me but we love the taste of smoky pepper.

I’ve had Marcona almonds once before but have not found them in Michigan. I think this recipe is just fine with regular almonds. From the website: 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 sautéed 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. Find them in specialty stores or online at tienda.com.

In the past, I’ve found that it takes longer than an hour for these to dry out in the oven. The more you drain the egg whites, the shorter the time in the oven.

Makes 12 servings but who’s counting?