Spring break season is upon us, which means it’s time to pile all of your family members and personal belongings into the transportation device of your choice and travel for hours on end. This situation will probably include an unfortunate amount of teenage heartthrob tunes, one family member who needs to stop more frequently than any other, direction disagreements and a thousand variations of, “Are we there yet?”
Doesn’t that sound like fun?
But not to worry, there’s still one facet of group travel you can control: the snack options. Oh, the snack options. You might have to make 18 pit stops in the next 8 hours, but rest assured, you’ll have healthy snacks to munch on while you wait. You don’t have to settle for the crushed, stale potato chips at the bottom of the beach bag or anything that comes out of a vending machine! You have your own personal stash of roasted almonds!
These almonds are portable, healthy and ready to meet your sweet or savory craving, whatever the case may be. And they couldn’t be easier to make!
Whip up a few batches before you hit the road and package them in bulk or in single-serving containers.
(Be warned: single-serving containers are your ally here. These almonds are addictive.)
Rosemary Olive Oil Almonds
- 1 cup raw almonds
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Preheat the oven to 250. Once heated, pre-roast the raw almonds for 10 minutes. Pre-roasting ensures that the almonds roast fully and that the fresh rosemary doesn’t burn to a crisp. Next, toss the pre-roasted almonds with the olive oil, rosemary (taken off the stem) and sea salt. Continue roasting at 250 for another 10 minutes and then remove to cool completely before packaging.
Cocoa Roasted Almonds
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
Preheat the oven to 250. Once heated, pre-roast the raw almonds for 15 minutes. (The oil in the rosemary almonds makes them cook faster; the honey in this recipe leads to burning faster. That equation makes 15 minutes the ideal time to pre-roast the cocoa almonds.) Next, toss the pre-roasted almonds with the honey, until fully coated. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, cinnamon and sea salt, and add that mixture to the almond mixture. Toss to coat again. Return the almonds to the oven and continue roasting at 250 for another 10 minutes. Remove to cool completely before packaging.
