Pumpkin Spice Almonds Are The Fall Snack We Should Have Thought Of Sooner

Goodbye summer and hello cool, crispy fall. As the seasons change, so too do our meal rotations. Whether it's a shift from backyard barbecues to cozy autumn soups or the resurrection of Starbucks' coveted fall menu, October-infused recipes are an integral part of the transition to shorter, slower days. While many meals, libations, and small bites embody the spirit of fall, we're kicking ourselves for not introducing pumpkin spice almonds to our autumn menus sooner.

Pumpkin spice is a warming blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger. Though it's commonly dusted over Thanksgiving pies and fall-flavored lattes, using them to jazz up a bland batch of almonds is a delicious way to enhance the flavor of those bite-sized, nutrient-dense nuts. Some foodies might find the natural taste of almonds too bitter for their liking, but a little pumpkin spice can transform them with a comforting, flavor-forward complexity, making these spice-dusted nuts a fall snack that almond skeptics and fanatics alike can enjoy. The toasty, slightly spicy flavor of pumpkin spice gives the woody, earthy, and occasionally biting taste of almonds a dimension of soft coziness reminiscent of a golden November oak tree.

Seasoning almonds is as simple as tossing them in pumpkin spice and oven-roasting them until fragrant and toasty. Many people like to coat them in whipped egg whites before tossing them in spices, but butter or cooking oil works just as well. To get more of a pumpkin-forward flavor, consider incorporating dehydrated ground pumpkin into the spice blend.

Pumpkin spice almonds are delicious enough to enjoy independently. However, there are dozens of ways to incorporate them into larger meals and desserts.

Pulse pumpkin spice almonds in a food processor until they're finely chopped but not powdered. Then, introduce the crumbly nuts to a sweet potato or pumpkin pie for a crunchy bite, or use them to bring texture to a cup of fall-flavored ice creams, like butter pecan, s'mores, or cinnamon roll. Bonus points for drowning the nutty scoops in a maple syrup bath.

And it's not just sweet treats that pumpkin spice almonds work well with. An autumn harvest salad topped with roasted vegetables, steamed sweet potatoes, peppery arugula, goat cheese, and, of course, your toasty, fall-approved almonds. Don't forget to top it off with a maple vinaigrette dressing. But you can't have a meal without an appetizer! Top a wheel of baked brie with chopped pumpkin spice almonds, honey, and rosemary for some sweet and savory pre-meal goodness.

The next time you have a batch of plain almonds, get into the fall spirit and transform them with some pumpkin spice. Once you taste them, that summer menu will soon be forgotten.