Squash, Pumpkin and hearty soups all provide the hearty flavors of fall Hoosiers turn to this time of year. And that’s just what A Couple Cooks had in mind with this dish, which is sure to get you in the spirit of kicking up leaves and hosting progressive dinners with neighbors on a perfect Indian Summer night. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, until fragrant. Let almonds cool for 1 minute, then place in a food processor (while still warm). Process 1 to 2 minutes, until dry and crumbly. Scrape down the bowl.
Turn on the processor, then with motor running add kosher salt, oil and 1 or 2 tablespoons maple syrup (use 1 tablespoon for a slightly sweet, thinner version and 2 tablespoons for a sweeter, thicker version). Continue processing 6 to 9 minutes, scraping down the bowl often in the beginning stage, adding ½ to 1 additional tablespoon of oil if almonds are too dry. (This process takes multiple times of stopping and scraping.) Continue to process until the dry almonds start to clump into a dough ball, and then even longer until they form into a creamy liquid. When creamy, while motor is running add cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Stop to scrape down sides of the bowl, then continue processing until spices are fully integrated.
