Vanilla Bean: Party Snacks!! Hot Chocolate Almonds & Spicy Baked Chickpeas

Good morning all!

The eggplant feature is coming but FIRST…I wanted to share two new exciting recipes - yes two!
I'm pairing them because they are very similar prep-wise and both would be great for your next get-together.

Reasons to make these: They're tasty and satisfying - flavours are complex and interesting. They don't require many ingredients, super quick/easy to make and they're a healthy change from the usual store bought snack foods.

Come to think of it, you don't see many homemade snacks these days. I haven't seen a homemade snack in years…lol..

Anyway, these are sure to raise some eyebrows and wake up some taste buds - believe me! I hope you get as inspired as I was.

The first snack on my list is the "Hot" Chocolate Almonds. Pun intended. They give off a little heat and are reminiscent of Mexican Hot Chocolate.

While browsing on-line, I fell upon this lovely food blog called "A Full Measure of Happiness" and found this recipe. The author named her recipe "Mexican Hot Chocolate Spiced Almonds". I encourage you to check it out! (Link to blog at the end of this post)

Just imagine the magnificent flavours of the chocolate, the spice (cinnamon & cayenne) and the maple syrup combined.

The second is Spicy Baked Chickpeas, seen on the Food Network show "5 Ingredient Fix"with Claire Robinson.

I was watching this very interesting episode "Show you share Tapas". She whipped up this recipe so quickly , it wasn't even funny. I thought to myself "I have all those ingredients!! I"m going to make this right now!! So I ran to my office (my pantry) and emerged with my 5 ingredients in hand. I prepared it before the show even ended. She (Claire) kept repeating how addictive these chickpeas would be and she was right. In fact, as I was preparing them this morning I couldn't stop picking at them lol. They're crispy and flavourful..mmm. Although, they didn't go too well with my coffee. bleh..

Hot Chocolate Almonds

Ingredients

3 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Cups raw almonds

1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, cayenne and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Next, fold in the almonds coating them in the syrup mixture. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread them out into a single layer–this takes a little effort, ’cause they are very sticky at this point!

(No kidding! I'm not patient and this was testing me…ooohh boy. You touch one and five move along with it!! They stick to your fingers OMG...And the longer you take to do this, the stickier they get!! I just gave up and thought, as long as there are no big clumps of almonds, they'll be fine lol)

Bake in the oven (middle rack) until the syrup around the almonds turns a darker brown, about 20 minutes. Keep your eye on them because they fast in the oven and there’s no way to turn back once you’ve gone too far! When finished, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Meanwhile, place the cocoa powder into a resealable bag. When the almonds are cool, break them apart and toss ‘em in the bag until they are generously dusted with cocoa.

Steph's notes: I think I would have added more sugar and a little more salt but you can definitely adjust it to your taste. I like a more intense sweet/salty flavour. Also, when you're breaking the almonds apart, don't clean off too much of the crusted syrup. When you toss them in the cocoa, it will settle in all the little nooks and crannies - They'll look nicer.

Spicy Baked Chickpeas

Ingredients

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika ( l love the rich colour of smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I put less than this because I'm not a fan of cumin however, I don't omit it. It adds another dimension)
Pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and dry by rolling them around in a kitchen towel. Combine the oil, paprika cumin, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly. Transfer the chickpeas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Bake until golden and crispy, 25 to 35 minutes, shaking the tray to toss after 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chickpeas to a serving bowl.