Kris had informed me that her new favorite snack was
cocoa covered peanuts. This intrigued me, so on my next shopping trip, I just
had to look for them - and came up lacking. But I did see cocoa covered
almonds. I passed on them this trip, because darn it, I wanted cocoa covered
peanuts! That then led me to a idea. I wonder if I could make them at home. And
I discovered lots of recipes for cocoa covered ALMONDS. None for peanuts, which
I took as a sign I was to try cocoa covered almonds this time around.
There is a funny story too about my acquisition of said
almonds to cover in cocoa powder! Instead of heading out just to buy almonds, I
sent a text to my husband, Jeremy, to see if he'd pick some up on his way home.
Sure, no problem. In the exchange he asked how much I needed and I gave him an approximate
amount and so forth. When he gets home with them and I see that he bought about
7-8 smaller snack sized bags because the market he stopped at didn't have the
larger bulk sized bag. He thought I had to have them that day so did whatever
he could to make sure I had the amount I needed, even if it cost probably twice
the amount of a bulk sized bag - I felt bad informing him that I could've
waited until the next day when a larger grocery store would have been
accessible! You can be sure I said thank you for all his trouble!
Almonds have lots of
great benefits besides being yummy. Here's a link to the Almond Board of
California's information sheet Almonds.com Health and Nutritional Info which also has a link to a neat PDF with even more information.
And here's an overview of almonds benefits:
Heart Health
•High in monounsaturated fat (good fat)•No cholesterol or sodium
•Top food source of vitamin E, an important antioxidant
Energy
•6 grams of protein per ounce•12 vitamins and minerals
•Rich in magnesium
Weight management
•6 grams protein, helps keep you going with less snacking•3.5 grams fiber, good for helping to keep you fuller feeling longer
•Only 160 calories per ounce
There's also a lot of good benefits to cocoa powder too,
so this is a pretty good choice for snacking that feels like an indulgence!
There's really not a "recipe" for it, more of method. This is the method I used:
1 1/2 - 2 cups whole almonds
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbsp powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of
almonds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 5 minutes, remove
tray shake it back and forth to "stir" up the almonds and then
continue to bake for about another 5-8 minutes or until they are lightly
fragrant and toasty.
While the almonds are baking, mix about 1 1/2 tablespoons
each cocoa powder and powdered sugar. I actually sifted the two together in a
mesh strainer to get rid of lumps and help facilitate the combining of the two.
When you remove the almonds from the oven, let them cool
a minute or two on the baking sheet, then carefully pour them into a medium
sized bowl. Add the cocoa powder/powdered sugar mixture to the still-warm
almonds and toss gently with a spoon to coat. Spread them back onto the baking
sheet in a single layer to cool.
And that's it. It's super simple to create these yummy
treats at home. I have to admit that I was skeptical of the coating sticking with nothing added to make it stick, but it did and it did so beautifully! And after trying them with the just the cocoa powder and
powdered sugar, I decided to dust them with cinnamon and wow, it knocked an
already great tasting treat out of the park!!
From Kris B.
It has been a crazy week at our house! My husband has been a sick boy. When he went back to school, he actually took on additional responsibilities as the school librarian, and then we had a quick out of town trip this weekend. Needless to say, all of these things contributed to our weekly routine being extremely disrupted. It seems like such "blips" in our life have the greatest effect on our eating habits. We found ourselves snacking through the week rather than making intentional and healthy meal choices.
These Brown Sugar and Almond English Muffins are one of my "go-to" snacks or, as was the case this week, go-to lunches lunches. A little protein, a little sweetness, and a few carbs and I'm ready to go. If you have a toaster oven, these are even easier to make when life is moving a quick pace.
INGREDIENTS
English muffin
Butter
Brown sugar
Sliced almonds
Split the English muffin and generously spread with butter. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and top with the sliced almonds. If you are using a toaster oven, set the rack open its lowest setting. In a standard oven, use the middle rack. Place the muffins on a cookie sheet. Using the broiler setting, cook until the brown sugar has melted, 5 minutes or so. WATCH CAREFULLY! These will go from perfect to burned very quickly!
Enjoy any time of day as a meal with a side of fruit, or as a snack.
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