Today’s recipe is inspired by my childhood love of honey roasted peanuts as well those nuts that you can get from the mall around the holidays. The kind of nuts that the scent wafts through the air and drives you insane and you just have to have them. The kind of nuts, that once you pop, you can’t stop. Yes, those nuts that you eat a a big container at once and give yourself a belly ache because nuts are hard to digest and not to mention, peanuts have aflatoxin. Hard to digest and aflatoxins are just a couple reasons to not go too hog wild on peanuts and why my “peanuts” recipe may come in handy. I’ve seen versions of roasted chickpeas but many recipes seem shy about using sugar. I am not. If you’re shy with sugar, then don’t make these. But you’ll be missing out. They are possibly one of the best baked foods I’ve made in ages and if you want to take $2 dollars worth of ingredients and make them taste like a million bucks, try these. It will be worth it and your house will smell divine. Plus, lots of the sugar gets stuck to the foil anyway. Carmelized Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpea “Peanuts” 1 can (15 oz.) of garbanzo beans/chickpeas 2/3 c brown sugar 1/2 c white sugar 1.5 Tsp Cinnamon (you can adjust up or down to taste) Optional: 1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice Sprinkle with course salt at the end or add salt to the cinnamon sugar mixture, to taste Directions: Drain and rinse your chickpeas Pat fairly dry with paper towels Combine dry ingredients and dredge chickpeas with sugar + cinnamon Place on a Foil-Lined or Parchment-Lined Cookie Sheet and Bake at 375F for 40 minutes or until done. Before Baking: I baked mine for 40 minutes, stirring once at 20 minutes. Ovens are variable and with all that sugar, don’t burn it! Watch it and if it looks and smells done, they are. After 20 Minutes: ….Until the sugar carmelizes After 40 Minutes of Baking: Allow chickpeas to cool for as long as your can take it. They will crisp up in the air, too. So even if they don’t seem as “done” or as crunchy as you’d like when you first remove them from the oven, they will crunch-up more with air time. These were insanely good and eaten immediately. The whole batch done and gone in about 10 minutes. They are nearly as crunchy as peanuts and if you want the sweet + salty vibe, dust with a sprinkle of salt at the end. Close your eyes, and pretend you’re eating honey roasted peanuts.
