cinnamon toasted and cocoa dusted almonds

I snack. A lot. This past summer, I made homemade nut butter to spice up my afternoon apple snack. But pre-slicing an apple and carrying along a container of nut butter isn't always feasible. Inspired by Nuts 4 Nuts after a recent trip to the farmers market, I've been snacking my way through these nuggets of cinnamon, sugar, chocolate goodness. And, as a vegetarian, this protein filled snack obsession is head and shoulders above what was an ugly, ugly holiday pecan/peanut/mixed nut brittle overindulgence. Or, at least that's what I'm telling myself. :)

Yield: 7 cups
250 calories per 1/4 cup (cinnamon)
225 calories per 1/4 cup (cocoa)
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

ingredients
the cinnamon almonds
4 cups raw almonds
2 whole egg whites (or 6 tablespoons liquid egg whites)
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

the cocoa dusted almonds
3 cups raw almonds
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla (if you want to get fancy, use a vanilla bean)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

preparation
the cinnamon almonds 
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until very foamy.

2. Add in the vanilla and whisk until foamy.

3. Add in the sugars, salt, and cinnamon, whisking until well combined.

4. Add in the almonds, stirring well to coat.

5. Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees until very crisp, about 45-50 minutes. You'll want to stir the almonds halfway through to spread around the cinnamon mixture and encourage, for lack of a better word, clumping.

 6. Place the parchment paper on a wire rack to cool.

the cocoa dusted almonds
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the agave nectar, vanilla, and sugar. Warm on very low heat.

2. While the mixture is warming, combine the cocoa powder and sea salt in a gallon Ziplock bag.

3. Stir the agave mixture to ensure the ingredients are well mixed and pour in the almonds.

4. Warm the almonds, stirring frequently to coat, for about 3-5 minutes. You'll notice a "hissing" noise as air and fat escape the almond skin.

5. Pour the almonds into your prepared Ziplock bag, seal, and shake well to coat.  (I totally had a muddy buddies flashback.)

6. Pour the almonds out onto a wire rack that's been covered with parchment paper to cool.

Original recipes found here and here.

blueberry nut oatmeal bars

I've been on a kind bar kick. Okay, more like an Amazon subscribe and save bender. While the bars have a fairly short shelf life, hopefully indicative of fresh(ish) ingredients and processing, I endeavored to find a homemade version. This isn't it.  But, these bar do straddle a crumble and granola bar. This recipe provides an easy, lower fat and calorie option for those of us who aren't adhering to a (strict) gluten free vegan diet. :) Fair warning: The bars aren't tremendously sweet and the nuts take on a different consistency as a result of absorbing liquid, maybe because I took the lazy way out and used frozen blueberries.  Using fresh or dried would most likely prevent the boiled peanut effect to which some of the chopped nuts fell victim and increasing the sugar or changing it white would help with sweetness.

Yield: 1 pan of bars
125 calories per bar, if cut into 16
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

ingredients

3 cups oats

1 ¼ cup mixed nuts

1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups milk 

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In your food processor, chop the nuts.

3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir well until combined.

4. Pour mixture into a baking dish that’s been generously sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

5. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Allow to cool completely then cut into squares.

Original recipe found here.

blueberry cake

As blueberry season winds to a close, the nuttiness of this delectable cake is a perfect way to transition to autumn.

Yield: One 9 inch cake
185 calories per slice, if cut into 12 slices
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg

1/2 cup rice milk

2 cups blueberries

1 ounce almonds, crushed (see step 1 of “no knead almond bread” for tips on crushing whole almonds)

preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the egg and which until well incorporated.

4. Add in the all the remaining ingredients, except for the blueberries, and beat until smooth, about 1 minute.  

5. Add in the blueberries and stir just to incorporate, about 30 seconds.

6. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and bake until golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 45 minutes. 

7. Cool for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. See step 12 of “coconut chocolate chip monkey bread” for tips on turning out a cake.

Original recipe found here.

muddy buddies

To me, Muddy buddies and Chex Mix are the quintessential snack foods.

Yield: 9 cups
220 calories per serving, if using 1/2 cup portions
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

ingredients
9 cups assorted rice ad corn square cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup nut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

preparation
1. In a large bowl, measure out the cereal and set aside.

2. In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, nut butter, and butter.

3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir, and microwave for 1 minute.

4. Add in the vanilla and stir until very smooth.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir until evenly coated.

6. Pour the cereal until a 2 gallon bag, add in the confectioner's sugar, seal the bag, and shake well to coat.

7. Pour the cereal out onto parchment or wax paper, lightly cover with sprinkles, and allow to cool.

Original recipe found here.