Plain almonds are good….but I find flavored almonds taste even better. I’m more likely to eat this superfood if they have a bit more complexity to them. I’m always looking for a protein-friendly snack to pair with fresh fruit in the afternoons, and these have been my go-to all week. Almonds make such a great snack by the {small} handful, salad topper or garnish on practically any dish. This bunch would be great on soba noodles!
Sesame seeds add nutrition, nuttiness and crunch
Cayenne + cinnamon + salt provide the backbone of flavor
And maple syrup makes them slightly sweet!
Maple Sesame Almonds
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 3 Cups
Slightly sweet, slightly savory, 100% crunchy.
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw almonds
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup maple syrup (the good kind!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Spread almonds and sesame seeds on separate pans
- Toast sesames for 7 minutes, or until fragrant and beginning to brown
- Toast almonds for 10 minutes
- Mix spices in a bowl
- Pour almonds and seeds in bowl and toss with spices and maple syrup
- Allow to cool completely and store in an air-tight container
Ooh, those look awesome!! Very fancy pants looking with minimal effort…my kind of snack!
Have you ever had those sesame almonds from Trader Joe’s? My dad and I are obsessed. I have a feeling we’d love these ones just as much, if not more!
I LOVE those almonds from Trader Joes!! I will definitely try to recreate these instead to save myself a few dollars, considering I already have all the ingredients.
That’s what I was thinking as well! Those are addicting!
Those look awesome!!!!
Ohh wow these look great! I love that they have both spicy and sweet ingredients.
Yummy! I’m like you, I love plain almonds but I love them so much more with a little extra flavoring. Thanks for the recipe. I’m definitely going to give these a try!
Haha I think my problem is that I eat TOO many almonds if they’re anything but raw! I LOVE them!
I really need to try those, they look so delicious!
I often eat a handful of almonds and a string cheese for an afternoon snack but I think these maple almonds would take that to the next level. Awesome!
Yum yum yum! I am a fan of anything flavored with maple syrup. I can only imagine how tasty it is with the roasted almonds.
Mmm! Great to see more recipes! Love it!
Oh wow…those look so amazing. I dont think I could make them because I would inhale a pound in one sitting! I think you are better at portion control than I am!
I was thinking the same thing, the jar would be gone in one sitting!!!
yum! these look so great! I love the way you put them in a jar! Could be a great gift when invited to someones house!
These look addicting! LOVE IT!
Great idea! This sounds like a wonderful flavor and texture combination!
These look super tasty! The perfect salad topper or handful grab!
Helloouu dear Kath & Ladies,
I have to confess that I am literally going nuts over nuts. Totally, desperately, beyond measure addected.
“Portion control”?! huh? can you spell it, please?
Ella
PS: sad we cannot smell the lovely aroma of those through the screen…
I’ve been waiting for this recipe! Woo hoo! I can’t wait to try these!
Looove sesame. I just made candied almonds in the slow cooker!http://theactorsdiet.com/2013/02/03/crockpot-candied-almonds/
how clever!
I’m often looking for a healthy snack mid-morning, early afternoon, later in the evening ….. um, all the time …. hahaha — I’ve started putting together my own trail mix because raw almonds can get a little *yawn* boring and I love this healthy twist you’ve come up with. Thanks for sharing!!!
Oooo sounds and looks yummy! 😛
Hmmm. i have cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt and maple syrup. gonna whip up a small bowl of this now minus the sesame seeds and see how it tastes.
done. damn that’s good!
Whatt?? In 5 mins??
yep! cuz i didn’t toast my nuts. 🙂 still magnificent! i have some with me at work today for an afternoon snack.
Those look INCREDIBLE! I love almonds though for some reason I always forget to pick some up to have as a snack. These look great and like a great way to change up the usual dry roasted almonds.
Those look delicious! I love snacking on almonds! What a fun and easy way to make them more interesting. 🙂
Those look really good, ill have to try making them. Today I got out my smoothie maker and used it as a juicer. Handful of spinach, blueberries and 3 large strawberries. It was very good. I could taste the spinach in it but didnt mind it at all. Anyway do you have any recipes for these type of drinks or did I over look them? How beneficial do you feel they are to ones diet? Thanks….
If you search for “SIAB” (smoothie in a bowl) in the tag cloud you’ll find all of my smoothie recipes, but not all of them are fruit/veggie based like juice.
Could you share what the nutritional benefit of the sesame seeds is?
Lots of vitamins and minerals, plus monounsaturated fats and fiber. You can read more about the breakdowns here.
Yum! I agree with you– I much prefer almond with a bit of flavoring. Plain almonds just don’t really do it for me.
They look amazing…but I don’t dare make them….that darn portion control weakness of mine!
Yum yum! Easy recipe and tasty I’m sure. Have you tried Angela’s (Oh She Glows) hockey nuts recipe? It’s amazing with the rosemary and butter. Definitely a great snack for a party or special occasion. I made a few batches for Christmas gifts and people gobbled it right up!
The recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/09/30/hockey-nuts-in-canada/
Sweet with a little heat, crunchy, perfect!
That recipe looks very good.
By “the good kind” of maple syrup, do you mean pure maple syrup? Just looking for clarification.
This post would also be great if it included stats or information about why almonds are superfoods and what portion size would be considered both real and healthy. Your RD background seems well-suited to this.
Thx!
E
Pure as opposed to a flavored syrup. Aunt Jemima ingredients aren’t so great: INGREDIENTS: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE. where as pure maple is just “maple syrup” on the label.
Looks delish!! What kind of maple syrup do you recommend?
Anything 100% pure. This is the one we sell at the bakery and I get for our household, but you can find pure maple in any grocery store
I think I H-A-V-E to make these. They look incredibly delicious!
Mmm..love that combo! I’ve make maple, sesame, and ginger glaze for salmon so I can only imagine how good these are! Almonds are one of my all-time favourite snacks!
Thanks for the recipe share!
I’m hosting a healthy Valentine’s Day giveaway. 🙂
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com/2013/02/healthy-valentines-day-giveaway-s.html
They sound and look yum! I love toasted flaked almonds as snack toppings but these would be amazing! Which maple syrup do you recommend as a good brand?
We like this one by Old State Farms but any 100% pure maple will be good
These sound like such a perfect snack! Almonds and toasted sesame seeds are one of my favorite combinations to ad to oatmeal…so why not eat them as a snack for the rest of the day? 🙂
These look really yummy! By the way, I saw you today! I was driving near 11th street and saw someone pushing a stroller and was wondering… What kind of stroller is that? And.. Wonder if that’s Kath. And you turned around and it was you!
No way! It was me : ) Did you wave!?
No… I didn’t want to distract you maneuvering through traffic with baby Mazen! 🙂
I am an almond lover through and through…plain or flavored and I think that these look delish!!
Hi Kath,
Do you still use Shaklee cleaning products? Did you try any of their other products? Vitamins? Or beauty products? Why or why not? What did you think if you did? Thanks! 🙂
I do still use the Basic H for my counters, windows, bathrooms, yes. Still liking it! I never got into their vitamins (mostly because I just took a prenatal and got that at Whole Foods) and didn’t get into beauty because my budget didn’t allow.
Are they super sticky? I ask because they aren’t baked a second time with the syrup to “dry it out” or anything? Can you eat them without getting sticky fingers? 😛
They dried as they cooled – they aren’t wet anymore but they were at first
Those look delicious! I have a feeling it would be hard to just have a small handful of those 🙂
Yum! Flavored almonds are wayyy too addictive. These look divine!
Those do look amazing but way to easy to eat too many for me.
Those look great! Question for you on Recipage…do you have to have a self-hosted blog in order to have printable recipe cards on your blog? I tried looking today and I didn’t see an option for free wordpress hosted blogs 🙁 Thanks!
I’m actually not sure, but I don’t see why a wordpress blog wouldn’t work
I’ve never tried messing with plain almonds but this is a great recipe for when they get a little boring! 🙂
These look incredible! I adore the sesame cashews from Trader Joe’s but almonds are such a healthier option!
Is this a spin on the sesame honey almonds from Trader Joes? I am allergic to maple so I’m definitely substituting honey 🙂
Nuts are my go to snack. My husband likes them a bit sweet. This is perfect.
Yum! Cinnamon and cayenne is one of my favorite spice combos!
This looks delicious! Would it work with honey though?
I imagine so… Perhaps extra sticky
Yummy…Flavored Almonds….These look delicious!!
These look awesome. I have become such a fan of sesame seeds in granola after discovering two of my favorite varieties use them. The way they stick to the almonds and add a whole new layer of texture and crunch is fabulous. I’m going to have to try this version! [Of course, since I can’t follow a recipe, it probably wouldn’t look anything like yours…]
Kath — made these last night and they are AMAZING. I warn anyone who makes them, however, that you will not be able to eat just one. Like, at all. As they cooled I kept passing by “just to check on them” and each time had one or two. I think I must have eaten about 30 almonds yesterday.
Thanks for sharing the recipe! Having them on a smoked salmon salad for lunch today 🙂