Smoked almonds would have to be one of my favorite snacks, and while there are many good options available with lots of different flavors ranging from simple sea salt to spicy habanero, they tend to be pricey.  Frequently one of our local markets runs sales on bulk raw almonds which usually I purchase to add to my yogurt and fruit for breakfast, but the recent sale got me to thinking.  Since I have an electric smoker instead of paying six dollars for a twelve ounce bag of nuts I could buy a pound for about half the price and make my own.  I don’t know why this had never occurred to me before, but there you have it.  I never realized how easy and fun it would be to make my own snack choosing which flavor of wood to use and which spices to add.  

Begin by soaking the raw almonds in a salt water brine overnight.  I have experimented with the length of time and find that around 12 hours seems to do the trick.  I have let them go as long as 24 hours and notice the skins of the nuts can begin to break down.  I pulverize the salt in my spice grinder which insures it completely dissolves in the water, this step makes it easy however probably not necessary, just make sure the salt is dissolved.  Use a glass or plastic container for the brine as salt water can damage metal pans and also release compounds into the water.

At the end of the brining time, drain the nuts and spread them out to dry on a towel to dry while you heat up your smoker.   I like to use hickory for the almonds, but you can experiment with some different woods to customize your treats.  What ever wood you choose just be sure to give it plenty of time to get burning before loading the almonds.  I have a wire mesh vegetable basket which I find works extremely well for this application, however you could also wrap one your smokers shelves with foil and poke some holes through it.

Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter in the microwave and add the salt and whatever spices you have decided to use.  Toss the nuts in the butter to make sure they are evenly coated before placing them in your smoker.  About two hours time seems to work about right for the nuts that are brined twelve hours.  Open the box and stir the nuts about half-way through the smoking time to make sure they get toasted evenly.

At the end of the smoking time spread the nuts out on a sheet pan to cool.  Once they have cooled give them a taste to see if they have enough crunch.  If you have brined the almonds a longer time they may not be a crisp as you like.  This is easily remedied by placing them in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.  The almonds will crisp up as they cool so keep that in mind, over-roasting will give you a bitter flavor and dry out the nuts.  Store the cooled nuts in a plastic storage container or a glass jar.  The nuts will take on an even smokier flavor after being sealed in a container for 24 hours.

I ‘finish’ my almonds by pulverizing a teaspoon of salt in my grinder then shaking them in it.  I like the subtle flavor this brings and also the coating it gives the nuts.  For a bit of added zip I add a small amount of garlic or chili powder to the salt for the dusting.  It is fun to experiment with making this treat since you can flavor it anyway you like.   For a sweet nut you could use sugar and cinnamon, or I think curry and cumin would be very tasty as well.

Cashews and pecans also smoke very well, just follow the same basic outline.  Smoked nuts also make a great addition to holiday gift baskets.  There are many attractive options available for packaging candies and nuts, and people always really seem to appreciate gifts made with love.

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Hickory Smoked Almonds

Spicy smoked almonds are a favorite snack and easy to make in your electric smoker.  Customize your flavors to you personal taste. Make pounds of smoked nuts at a fraction of the store price.  Great gift idea too!

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword hickory smoked almonds, smoked almonds, spicy smoked almond recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Brine 12 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 pound

Author Christoph

Ingredients

Brine

• 2 quarts filtered water
• 2 tablespoons salt ground or pulverised

Nuts

• 1 pound raw almonds
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Instructions

• Pour filtered water into a non-reactive bowl.  Grind or pulverize the salt and add to the water and stir to completely dissolve.  Add the almonds and allow to brine for at least 12 hours or up to 24.
• Drain the almonds and spread them on a towel to dry while heating the smoker. 
• Heat smoker to 250 degrees F.  Add hickory chips to your smoker. 
• Melt butter in the microwave and stir in salt and spices.  Pour over dry almonds and stir well to coat.  
• Place almonds in a wire vegetable basket, grilling mat or on a foil lined sheet pan.  Smoke for about 2 hours stirring half-way through.
• If almonds are not crisp enough for your personal taste, bake on a sheet pan for 10 to 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
• Allow almonds to cool to room temperature before serving.  Store in an air tight container.
• Grind 1 teaspoon of salt to a fine powder.  Add to container of nuts and shake to coat.  

Notes

The almonds will have more of a smokey flavor after being in a sealed container for 24 hours.

 

If almonds are not as crisp as you like spread on a sheet pan and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

 

 

Without fail each year that I have carved a Jack-O-Lantern, I have been asked by someone if I roasted the seeds. Now I must tell you that countless times I have attempted to make this snack that everyone seems to be so crazy about, however I confess that I could count on one hand the number of times that this supposedly amazing treat was worth a good darn, and that in fact, they did not end up in the trash. I have always felt that these roasted seeds were just OK, I mean if I were stranded on a desert island I would probably eventually eat them.

The other day as I was preparing a Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin, just as I was about to throw the seeds away, a little voice told me to hold on to them, and give roasting another try. I mean there must be something to this treat that people ask about with crazed looks, right? Maybe it was the way I was trying to prepare them? So I went through the painful process of separating the seeds from the other gunk, washed them, and spread them out to dry overnight.

At some point during my slumber, I must have been visited by the Great Pumpkin himself, or had a vision of other sorts, because when I awoke, I had a clear idea of  what to do with the seeds. Why not prepare them in the same manner that I use to make my Chex mix? I figured the worst that could happen was they would go out in the rubbish like the countless seeds before.

Well I am pleased to share with you that it was a victory, a breakthrough of sorts (for me anyway). The pumpkin seeds are really quite tasty, in fact rather enjoyable, and I am already conjuring up plans for the next round.

I hope you enjoy your seeds should you choose to try this method. I like them spicy and would add a bit more pepper next time, and now I am sure there will be a next time.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

A delicious snack made from toasting pumpkin seeds with butter and spice.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups pumpkin seeds washed and dried
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon season salt
• ¼ cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Heat oven to 200° F.
• Place butter in a small roasting pan or metal cake pan on top of the stove over medium low heat to melt.
• Add Worcestershire sauce and spices. Mix well.
• Turn off heat and add pumpkin seeds, tossing well to coat.
• Place in oven for 30 minutes, remove and stir well halfway through cooking time.
• Remove from the oven, stir well, and return again for another 15 minutes. Adjust time for the quantity of seeds you are roasting stirring every 15 minutes. You are looking for a nice even toasted color. No burning.
• Place seeds on paper towels to cool and drain any excess butter.

Notes

This recipe will describe the method I used to roast the seeds from my pumpkin, and the approximate amount of ingredients. Since every pumpkin is a different size and contains varying amounts of seeds, you will need to adjust accordingly.

I started with about 2 cups of cleaned and dried seeds.

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