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
Slightly sweet, slightly savory, 100% crunchy.
Servings 3 Cups
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
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
Ooh, those look awesome!! Very fancy pants looking with minimal effort…my kind of snack!
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
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!
Marisa @ Uproot From Oregon says
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.
Molly @ RDexposed says
That’s what I was thinking as well! Those are addicting!
Ashley @ Coffee Cake and Cardio says
Those look awesome!!!!
Lauren @ Berry Sweet Lauren says
Ohh wow these look great! I love that they have both spicy and sweet ingredients.
The Mrs. says
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!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
Haha I think my problem is that I eat TOO many almonds if they’re anything but raw! I LOVE them!
Ali @ Peaches and Football says
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!
Morgan says
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.
Tine says
Mmm! Great to see more recipes! Love it!
Anne @ eatcleaneatreal says
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!
Sandra says
I was thinking the same thing, the jar would be gone in one sitting!!!
Emanuelle says
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!
Kristen @ Change of Pace says
These look addicting! LOVE IT!
Kerry @ Totes My Oats says
Great idea! This sounds like a wonderful flavor and texture combination!
Lindsay says
These look super tasty! The perfect salad topper or handful grab!
Ella P says
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…
Sara@fitcupcaker says
I’ve been waiting for this recipe! Woo hoo! I can’t wait to try these!
Lynn @ the actor's diet says
Looove sesame. I just made candied almonds in the slow cooker!http://theactorsdiet.com/2013/02/03/crockpot-candied-almonds/
KathEats says
how clever!
Andrea @ Vegvacious says
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!!!
Shannon ~ My Place In The Race says
Oooo sounds and looks yummy! 😛
Tonya says
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.
Tonya says
done. damn that’s good!
vidya says
Whatt?? In 5 mins??
Tonya says
yep! cuz i didn’t toast my nuts. 🙂 still magnificent! i have some with me at work today for an afternoon snack.
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
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.
Deb @ Dietitian Debbie says
Those look delicious! I love snacking on almonds! What a fun and easy way to make them more interesting. 🙂
robin says
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….
KathEats says
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.
Lauren says
Could you share what the nutritional benefit of the sesame seeds is?
KathEats says
Lots of vitamins and minerals, plus monounsaturated fats and fiber. You can read more about the breakdowns here.
Anna @ On Anna's Plate says
Yum! I agree with you– I much prefer almond with a bit of flavoring. Plain almonds just don’t really do it for me.
Laurie says
They look amazing…but I don’t dare make them….that darn portion control weakness of mine!
Lauren @ Sassy Molassy says
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/
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Sweet with a little heat, crunchy, perfect!
Erin says
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
KathEats says
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.
Katelyn says
Looks delish!! What kind of maple syrup do you recommend?
KathEats says
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
Jola says
I think I H-A-V-E to make these. They look incredibly delicious!
Lisa @bitesforbabies says
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!
Katherine says
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
Shel@PeachyPalate says
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?
KathEats says
We like this one by Old State Farms but any 100% pure maple will be good
Eileen says
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? 🙂
Kraileen says
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!
KathEats says
No way! It was me : ) Did you wave!?
Kraileen says
No… I didn’t want to distract you maneuvering through traffic with baby Mazen! 🙂
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
I am an almond lover through and through…plain or flavored and I think that these look delish!!
Sam says
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! 🙂
KathEats says
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.
becca says
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? 😛
KathEats says
They dried as they cooled – they aren’t wet anymore but they were at first
Katie @ Balanced RD says
Those look delicious! I have a feeling it would be hard to just have a small handful of those 🙂
Beth @ CraveableCleveland says
Yum! Flavored almonds are wayyy too addictive. These look divine!
Tami @Nutmeg Notebook says
Those do look amazing but way to easy to eat too many for me.
Alyssa says
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!
KathEats says
I’m actually not sure, but I don’t see why a wordpress blog wouldn’t work
Jennifer@ knackfornutrition says
I’ve never tried messing with plain almonds but this is a great recipe for when they get a little boring! 🙂
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
These look incredible! I adore the sesame cashews from Trader Joe’s but almonds are such a healthier option!
Morgan says
Is this a spin on the sesame honey almonds from Trader Joes? I am allergic to maple so I’m definitely substituting honey 🙂
Emily @ Life on Food says
Nuts are my go to snack. My husband likes them a bit sweet. This is perfect.
Jamie says
Yum! Cinnamon and cayenne is one of my favorite spice combos!
nancy says
This looks delicious! Would it work with honey though?
KathEats says
I imagine so… Perhaps extra sticky
Sheryl Nobel says
Yummy…Flavored Almonds….These look delicious!!
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
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…]
Allegra Young says
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 🙂