Oven Roasted Almonds Three Ways

This weekend I made a few things that you could probably buy in your local grocery store, but since they are so simple,  I wanted to try to make them at home.

1).  Almond Butter

I bought two pounds of plain unroasted, unsalted whole almonds in the baking isle of my local grocery store.  First I put each pound of almonds on a sheet pan with parchment paper and roasted almonds in the oven until a delicious nutty smell filled my house (about 15 minutes at 350)



Then, I measured out 1 1/2 cups of roasted almonds and put them aside for another recipe.  I put the remaining nuts in the food processor.  The whole almonds go through a few different stages in the processor... first they are LOUD!  then, as they break down a little, they resemble flour as you can see from this video

After about 10 minutes or so the mixture starts to break down from the "flour" stage and as the nuts start to release their oils it begins to get creamy around the 15 minute stage.  I did open the food processor a few times to scrape down the sides, I also added a healthy pinch of sea salt.

Here is my final product!

Perhaps, not quite as creamy as a store bough variety, but I happen to like the texture.  I will gobble about a tablespoon of this daily with a banana or apple.  Its actually a snack that I look forward to.... so delicious especially with that sea salt added :)  Only about 30 minutes total, and you can multi task while doing it :)

2).  Fruit & Nut Bars

Have you ever seen Larabars in the store?  We love them because they contain very few ingredients and are so delicious we like to eat one every day!  They retail anywhere from $1.19 - $1.60 and that adds up when two people are eating one every.single.day.  I decided that since the Cherry Pie version is my current favorite I would try my hand at it.  This is so easy its ridiculous!  All I did was take 1 1/4 cups dried cherries and 1 1/4 medjool dates and put them in the food processor (no need to clean if done after almond butter!)  I let the dried fruit spin until it becomes a sticky ball of paste:

Then, I took the reserved 1 1/2 cups roasted almonds and pulsed them in the food processor.  Store bought Larabars are more finely chopped up, but I like the texture of having a few nuts to chew on.  I poured the nuts into the fruit paste...

and then I just got my hands in there and mixed like crazy until the nuts were evenly incorporated.  I placed a piece of parchment paper in a 8x8 pan and pressed the nutty/fruity mixture evenly into the pan with my fingers.  I placed the pan in the fridge for at about 30 minutes.  It easily popped out because of the lovely parchment... then I just cut it into dozen servings

3). Grain Free Granola

This recipe is inspired by Paleo People Grain Free Granola.  I always have nuts & seeds around my house, I knew I could do it cheaper than buying it.  So I put 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup butter in saucepan and melted together.

Then, I added into a large bowl and mixed thoroughly:

2 C almonds, sliced 
1 1/2 C pecans, chopped
1/2 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C flax meal
1/4 C cacao nibs
3 T cacao powder

I poured the butter/honey mixture into the bowl and mixed well, until completely combined.
Lastly, I put the mixture onto a sheet pan prepared with a sheet of parchment paper and baked in a 350 oven for 25 mins.

Here is what I got:

Looks pretty doesn't it?  Well, guess what... I over baked it.  BIG TIME.  I want to scarf it down, but I cant bring myself to eat that almost totally burnt granola :(  I am always saying "color is flavor!" but in this case, it was too much.  What happened is that I was reading the end of a pretty good book, and although I didn't lose track of time, I wasn't watching my granola... if I had been watching it I would definitely have taken it out much earlier.  Oh well, you win some, you lose some!  I will try again soon :)