If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner, hopefully you’ve already finalized your menu and are well on your way to a spectacular dinner! If not, you can always check out last week’s Friday Favorites for my collection of favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
Now that dinner’s taken care of, let’s talk about a fun snack for your guests to nibble on when they arrive. I always like to have a few bites and snacks available to keep everyone occupied while I’m cooking dinner and getting everything together.
Lately, one of my favorite snacks is roasted almonds. Almost everyone I know loves to munch on nuts (and they’re not so filling that they’ll spoil your dinner!), but I prefer to make my own than buy a can of pre-seasoned nuts. By roasting my own almonds, I have the opportunity to get a bit creative with fun flavors.
This time around, I decided to play around with cardamom (I still can’t get enough cardamom) and cocoa. Who doesn’t love chocolate? To bring out the chocolate flavor, I also added some espresso powder. These not-too-sweet cocoa roasted almonds are bound to be popular with all of your Thanksgiving guests.
Even if you’re not hosting this year, you won’t want to miss this recipe… They’d make a great hostess gift!
Cocoa Cardamom Espresso Roasted Almonds
(Makes 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
(for a more subtle cardamom flavor, use just 1 teaspoon) - 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups raw almonds
Preheat your oven to 275°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicon liner or parchment paper, and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, cardamom, and salt. Whisk to remove any lumps.
In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla bean paste until frothy. Add the almonds and toss in the egg mixture. Pour the sugar and cocoa mixture into the almonds and stir until the almonds are evenly coated.
Transfer the almonds to the prepared baking sheet, and spread into an even layer. Roast for about 40 – 45 minutes, stirring every 10 – 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet, continuing to stir occasionally. Store in an airtight container.
P.S. Don’t forget about the holiday Kitchen Bootcamp challenge… I can’t wait to see everyone’s best appetizers and hors d’ouevres! Stay tuned for a few more of my favorites in the next few weeks…
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I bet these smell unreal. They would last about 2 minutes here.
NYC has got me addicted to coated almonds. It’s pretty much the only way I’ll eat them! This is a perfect work snack too
Those look gorgeous. I love nuts, and all those flavors sound amazing :)
Sounds like a great combination of flavors, will have to give this one a try.
I would love to receive these as a gift:)
Jen…I MUST make your roasted almonds this year! They sound like the perfect treat!
I love how you create recipes. These almonds look delicious. How do you ever manage to share them? LOL
p.s. was totally hooked on the recipe when I saw that you had vanilla bean paste in it :)
I’m already thinking ahead and knowing these would make fantastic Christmas gifts. They look absolutely delicious!
Oh Yum! There is nothing I like better than a good nut! Great sounding recipe!
Super wonderful yummy and gorgeous snack!! Great combinations of flavors!!
These sound delicious. I must try with pecans or walnuts.
i eat almonds as a snack all the time, but these look much more delicious than what i am used to!
Love it! I’ve been roasting them with salt and smoked paprika lately and I MUST try then this way, thank you so much for the recipe.
These look delicious! Perfect for Thanksgiving…or any day for that matter :)
Oh my goodness – cocoa almonds are my WEAKNESS at the store! Can only imagine how yummy they are with cardamom. I’m bookmarking this for December!
It’s not safe to have this kind of snack around me. Nevertheless, I must make these :).
these look delicious. not that i need one more thing to do, but…i need to make these! i may just devour them before my guests arrive
I would love to keep some of these in the kitchen, while I am cooking and in the living room, when we sit to relax. What a nice addition to favorite activities.
oh my word, these are so good! made them this morning with my girls (4 and 8 – great ages for helpers), and there is no way they’ll last until family comes on saturday. thank you for the terrific recipe! :)
That is a great idea for a christmas gift.
Jen I have never roasted my own almonds but now I have this recipe I will be doing so. I only wish my dad lived nearby since this would be his absolute favourite snack on Christmas morning !
What a stunning holiday recipe! Would you like to submit it to my contest to win a cookbook? Just wanting to share the holiday cheer (and exposure to your blog) Would love for you to win :) http://ow.ly/3j61M
These look amazing… Perfect for any snack/party
These look fantastic! Great idea with the cardamom. Yum!
~ Tiffany
Transfer of Health
Healthy Recipes and How to Feel Good
I couldn’t resist commenting. This looks delicious!