3

I have a big practically unused bag of raw almonds that's been sitting in my pantry for a couple years. I got them as a gift when I used to munch on them more, but after a few major life changes it just has never been pulled out again.

What can I possibly make with all of these almonds? I'm looking for something that uses the almonds as I primary ingredient rather than a garnish so I can get rid of them in one fell swoop instead of slowly whittling them away. I've thought of almond butter and almond flour, but I don't see myself using either that often, so it doesn't really help.

Improve this question
13
  • 6
    A couple of years? Seriously? My recipe: Compost...
    – Stephie ♦
    Commented Jul 11, 2015 at 21:13
  • 2
    If you want to make your almond into almond meal, this recipe (King Arthur Flour Site) is one of the best almond cookie recipes ever. I make them with an apricot preserve thumbprint and they are magical.
    – Catija
    Commented Jul 12, 2015 at 0:21
  • 3
    If you're feeling artsy, you can try to make marzipan. (although, not all eggs are pasteurized, but something like 'egg beaters' in a carton are. )
    – Joe
    Commented Jul 12, 2015 at 14:53
  • 4
    @Joe Please note that real marzipan has no eggs, just almonds, sugar and sometimes rose water. For almond paste binders like egg whites may be included. Many (English) recipes on the Internet are imprecise, especially as the terms are often used interchangeably.
    – Stephie ♦
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 9:47
  • 1
    @Catija and Joe, yes, those are exactly the type of suggestions I was looking for!
    – David K
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 12:14

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
6

Some things that are made almost entirely of almonds (plus elbow grease), and thus will use up a large quantity of almonds:

  • Almond butter (need to add: nothing. Well, salt, if you like.)
  • Almond milk (need to add: water)

And then there are more dessert recipes than you can shake a stick at, but they take increasing amounts of other ingredients, and thus decreasing amounts of almonds.

  • Marzipan (need to add: sugar, rosewater)
  • Macarons (need to add: sugar, eggs, some sort of icing/frosting)
  • Almond torte (ditto)
  • Almond brittle (need to add: sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt)
  • Almond pasta [variation on Hungarian dióstészta] (need to add: cooked pasta of your choice [e.g. broken-up fettuccine or small egg noodles], sweetening of your choice [sugar or honey or even artificial sweeteners will all work])
Improve this answer
7

As Stephie implied, after "a couple years", I'd bet your raw almonds are rancid and whatever you do with them would just be throwing good ingredients after bad. But eat a couple and see for yourself. If they're ok, I'd make almond butter, that would let you use all of them quickly.

Improve this answer
4
  • If it's only two years, and they've been stored in a place that's not too hot, they might be okay. If 'couple' is code for '4+ years' or they've been exposed to really hot temperature ... maybe not.
    – Joe
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 12:16
  • I believe it's been 1.5 years (depending on which Christmas I received them), and they've been in the pantry the whole time, so I'm not too worried about them being rancid, but I will definitely do a taste check first.
    – David K
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 14:42
  • Agreed about checking for rancidity. The OP did explicitly say he didn't think almond butter would work very well for him, though.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 16:10
  • @Jefromi Whoops, I totally missed that.
    – Dan C
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 16:24
1

Almost all nuts, so long as they haven't gone rancid on you, are very versatile:

  • Whenever I travel, I bring a bag of raw almonds. (raw simply because I prefer the flavor to roasted). If I end up missing a meal (not enough time to grab food when changing flights, sessions ran long and I'm tired from jetlag, meetings over lunch, etc.), then I have something easy to snack on.

  • If you go hiking, you can make a trail mix -- nuts, dried fruit, maybe some candies (m&ms are less messy than bare chocolate) or granola.

  • You can add them to many types of quick breads. (although walnuts & pecans are typically my go-to nut for this)

  • If you grind them up, you can use them as the breadcrumbs in most three-part dredges. (I don't know if I'm use it for deep frying, but it's great for pan frying ... especially fish)

  • They're great in deserts -- chop & sprinkle over ice cream or frosted cakes, mixed into brownies, etc.

  • They can be an appetizer -- heat in a dry pan, add a bit of butter, then spices and maybe a little bit of sugar to make spiced nuts.

There are so many uses, that I'm guessing this question will likely get closed. You can put it on cereal for breakfast, a small bag with your lunch or as a snack, etc.

Improve this answer
1
  • I guess I should clarify. I'm mainly looking for something that will use up a large portion of the almonds in one fell swoop as opposed to whittling away at them as garnishes. I'll updated the question.
    – David K
    Commented Jul 11, 2015 at 14:27
1

Assuming that they are not rancid...almond brittle (or mixed nut brittle...with other nuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts). There are many recipes out there like this one: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/almond-brittle. This one will use them up about a cup at a time (1 cup whole == 3/4 cup chopped +/-)

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    You can also often use more nuts than a recipe calls for. Nuts can be expensive and people like sugar, so a lot of recipes go a little light on the nuts.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 17:56
  • @Jefromi, as we are not a site for giving out recipes this was meant to be representative of a "use" (brittles) that would use up nuts in large quantities (large here being a relative term...)
    – Cos Callis
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 19:56
  • 2
    Not sure I understand your reply. I know the recipe you chose was just an example. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that recipe. I'm just saying it works even better than recipes will tend to suggest; you can use a lot of nuts if you want.
    – Cascabel ♦
    Commented Jul 13, 2015 at 20:26
1

You have a lot of answers already, but I'd like to add Curries as another solutions.

Using nuts in curries is a fantastic idea in my opinion! The last curry I did had some pistachios ground up in the blender with some broth, you end up with a really thick, sustaining and delicious sauce.

Improve this answer
0

my raw almonds were two years old as well and I just used this recipe to make candied slivered almonds that are delicious!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/caramelized-almonds-57033.aspx

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.