Almonds with Toasted Orange Zest
With allergies to peanuts, cashews and pistachios in our family, we eat a ton of almonds in this house. Good thing they are so delicious and versatile. I love baking with almond paste and almond extract, making granola with sliced almonds or topping a roasted vegetable with toasted slivered almonds. Yum! But sometimes I just like to roast my almonds until they get that juicy pop when you bite into them. Dressing them up with a little flavor makes them an exquisite snack or even gift for someone special. Here are some of my other almond recipes to be found here on One Happy Table:
Oatmeal, Almond Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Butter and Dark Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Almond Ice Cream with Salted Caramel and Marshmallows
Sweet Pea Ravioli with Crispy Lemon Verbena and Almonds
Fruit Dippers with Raw Almond-Agave Butter
Coconut and Toasted Almond Jasmine Rice
Orange Squares (these have ground almonds in the crust!)
As you can see, I wasn’t lying about our love for almonds! This past weekend I made these roasted almonds with a citrus kick for an evening of entertaining friends. Everyone loved their light orange essence and my husband and kids ate a whole bowl of them before any of our guests even arrived. They are so simple to make but add a real wow factor to your table!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 cups raw almonds, skins on
- one medium-large orange (I used a cara cara orange)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp orange extract
- 1 tbsp sugar (coarse, if you have it)
- 2 tsp sea salt (again, coarse if possible)
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Place your whole almonds onto a baking sheet in one single layer. Once the oven is preheated, roast the almonds for 12-15 minutes. They’re ready when they turn a nice golden color and you can hear them sizzling a bit. Be careful not to burn them!
Meanwhile, zest your orange into a bowl.
Beautiful, fresh orange zest!
Heat a small pan on the stovetop at medium heat until the surface is hot. Place the orange zest onto the pan and spread it out into a single, even layer for toasting. Note that you are toasting it over dry heat (no oil). When it’s finished toasting, it should be mostly crunchy and look something like this.
The orange zest, after toasting over dry heat
Once the almonds are finished roasting, place them into a large bowl (while they’re still hot) and toss them with the olive oil and orange extract. I used this Spicely brand of sugar-free orange extract, found at Whole Foods. Make sure the almonds are evenly coated.
Next, add the sugar, salt and toasted orange zest and toss to coat. Pour into little serving bowls or ramekins and serve!
Happy eating!
I have never thought about mixing almonds and orange together, but that sounds like a brilliant and delicious idea!!!!! Will definitely give it a try.
Thanks for sharing your recipes, they are very inspirational 🙂
oishivegan.wordpress.com
Thank you so much! Very happy you like the recipe. 😊 Please stop by often!
Looks so simple and so delicious! I love to snack throughout the day so this recipe is a must-try for me. Great way to beat that in-between-meal hunger while keeping it healthy…well done!
Thank you Samantha! Same here! We have almonds out all the time for a healthy, tasty snack throughout the day. Enjoy! 😀
Pingback: 25 Vegan Dishes for the Holidays! | One Happy Table
What a great idea. They look delicious, and I really like the idea of the sweet, salty flavours.
Thanks so much! I love sweet and salty together, too. : )
Pingback: Chinese Almond “Jello” | One Happy Table
Waw! These do look amazing & very appetizing too! Thanks for the other almonds recipes too! I am going to check them out!
Wow, that IS a lot of almond recipes! (And these sound delicious!)
Hehe, I know! Thanks.
YUM!
: )
YUM! These sound delish!
Thanks Lisa! : )
: )
Yuuuum! These look amazing. I don’t have orange oil. Would I still get a good result if I prepared the recipe without it?
Hi Ally! Yes, they will still be delicious. : ) You can even squeeze a few drops of fresh orange juice from the orange into the mix when you add the olive oil for a little extra flavor. Not too much, as you don’t want the almonds to get wet, but just a few drops ought to do it.
Ah, good idea! Thank you. I’ll do that. 🙂
Great! Hope it turns out well!