I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like snacks. Full confession, sometimes I eat a mixture of snacks and call it a meal.

This recipe here is vegan friendly, gluten free, and exceptionally delicious – making it the perfect crowd-pleasing snack to serve at parties and gatherings, or you can bag them up into cute little packages to hand out as favors. I also like this recipe because unlike a lot of other roasted nuts, they don’t contain any additional oils or fats, so they’re overall pretty healthy!

Since almonds are my favorite, that’s what I used for this recipe. If you or someone you know is allergic, you can use whichever nut you want. Or if you want to get really fancy, you can use a variety of nuts.

Rosemary Maple Almonds

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole raw or blanched, unsalted almonds (use other nuts or a combination if you prefer, just ensure that they are both not salted and dry roasted, also do not use pieces or they’ll burn!)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (substitute agave nectar/syrup if desired)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary
• ½ to 1 teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes (use more of less for spice level)
• Black pepper and salt to your taste/preferences

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 325º F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, measure out the nuts and maple syrup. Give them a good mix to ensure that the maple syrup coats all the nuts and there are no dry spots left in the bowl.
3. Add the minced rosemary, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to the bowl. Mix thoroughly to ensure that the spices and herbs are well distributed among the nuts.
4. Spread the nuts onto a nonstick baking sheet in an even layer. If you want an easier clean up, line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Do not use foil or nonstick cooking spray.
5. Add a sprinkling of salt over the nuts. I like to salt at this stage since it spreads more evenly than if you added them into the bowl and mixed it with the other spices.
6. Place the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Once the timer goes off, take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully give the nuts a good mix to ensure even cooking.
8. Flatten the nuts out into an even layer once again and put the baking sheet back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
9. After the timer goes off again, remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully give everything another good mix.
10. Once again, flatten the nuts into an even layer and return the baking sheet into the oven for another 5 to 8 minutes. Watch them carefully in the last minutes because they could easily burn if you walk away and forget about them. You’ll know when the nuts are done because they’re no longer sticky to the touch.
11. After they’re done baking, let them cool completely on the baking sheet.
12. Transfer them into an air tight container. If you live in a place where it’s hot and humid, I suggest storing them in the fridge or freezer.
13. Good luck in not eating them all because they really are tasty and addicting!