Smoky Roast Almonds

Doug was wondering recently if I could make some smoked almonds. I combined some recipes to come up with these.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white (or 1 tablespoon flax powder + 2 tablespoons water)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2  to 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cup unsalted almonds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Line a half sheet pan (13" x 18") with a Silpat mat or parchment paper
3. Whip up egg white in a medium bowl (or whip up flax powder + water)
4. Add spices, whip some more
5. Add in  2 cups of almonds, stirring to coat. Add in last cup of almonds, stirring to coat.
6. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out almonds and spread over sheet pan
7. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring and turning every 10 minutes

Carole's Notes:

We liked these! Some recipes use liquid smoke as well, so I now make them with the liquid smoke.

Recipe adapted from https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/homemade-smoked-almonds/
 and http://www.bakeyourday.net/roasted-smoky-almonds/

Some other nut recipes:

Rosemary Walnuts

2.5 cups walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread nuts on a tray and toast for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant.
Whisk butter, rosemary, cayenne, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large bowl. When nuts are toasted, add them to bowl and stir to evenly coat.
Spread back on tray and toast for another 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve warm in bowls.

Adapted from https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/12/union-square-cafes-bar-nuts/

Sweet Spicy Candied Pecans

1/2 cup Confectioners sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the Confectioners sugar, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and 4 teaspoons of water. 
Add the pecans to the sugar mixture and stir until the nuts are evenly coated.
Transfer the pecans to the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Do your best to make sure the nuts are evenly spread out (if they are clumped together, they won't cook evenly).
Scrape out every last bit of glaze from the bowl and drizzle over the nuts. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the pecans are crusty on top and caramelized and golden on the bottom.
Immediately slide the parchment off of the hot baking sheet and allow the pecans to cool completely on the countertop.
Once cool, remove the pecans from the parchment, breaking apart any clusters if necessary, and store in an airtight container.

Adapted from  https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/sweet-spicy-candied-pecans.html