{recipe} cinnamon sugared & spanish spiced roasted almonds

I adore flavored almonds but they are S-O-O expensive.

I never realized how easy and inexpensive they were to make on your own until my roommate nominated me to make them for a little martini and appetizers party we had at our apartment before finals week. I was the only one out of all of my friends without any finals (um, perfect last semester schedule right there), so I cooked my little heart away for about 7 hours straight. It was exhausting. Now I know how my parents feel whenever they throw dinner parties. Whew.

My favorite out of the two of these were the cinnamon sugared almonds, but the spanish spiced were quite yummy too (and much easier to make!) 

Cinnamon Sugared Roasted Almonds:

Recipe by How Sweet It Is.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1-2 egg whites, beaten until foamy

Directions:

1. Mix sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy.
2. Dip almonds in egg whites, then in sugar mixture. Place on a baking sheet.
3. Roast at 275 for 30-45 minutes, tossing occasionally. 

Spanish Spiced Almonds
Recipe from Food.Com

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups whole raw almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300*F.
2. Warm the oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Add paprika and cumin, and stir 1 minute to mix and release flavors. Remove from heat when mixture just begins to bubble. Move to a medium bowl and stir in almonds.
3. Transfer almonds to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Sprinkle right away with salt, and more to wire rack. Let dry at least two hours before serving. 

I hope you enjoy these recipes. 

I have a feeling that they would make wonderful gifts in cute little mason jars.  

xo, Jen