I met my friend Sondra for coffee yesterday and let me tell you after leaving Starbucks I was energized not only from the caffeine in my Grande Americano, but by the positive energy that Sondra brought to the table, too.
One would think after spending three hours (!) chatting away at Starbucks that I would have remembered to pick up the coffee coated almonds that I had my eye on, but I forgot.
When I got home from the gym tonight I decided I had everything in my cupboard to make…
Starbucks & Spice Almonds
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups natural almonds
- 1 packet Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee
- 3 Tablespoons Splenda for Baking
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg white until foamy. Add the almonds to the egg white and toss well. Blend the Starbucks VIA and Splenda in your Magic Bullet or blender into a fine powder. Add this mixture to the almonds and stir to combine everything well. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 12 minutes, stirring half way.
The result? A cup of coffee infused nuts…very, very, grande!
And if that wasn’t enough…I wanted to see if I could make chocolate covered almonds using chocolate whey protein powder. So, I made another batch of almonds. This time, instead of using the Starbucks VIA in the recipe above I used 3/4 cup chocolate Protein Freeze. The result? Chocolate Protein Glazed Almonds…one powerful snack!
I think these almonds will make great gifts for the coffee and health nuts on my gift lists this year. Because, let’s face it, some of my best friends are quite nutty (except for Sondra, of course).
Miz says:
December 2nd 2009wait
Im confused
you met her? as in outside the HOUSE? we’re supposed to do that? meet people in real life?!
please to fill me in on this notion.
Lance says:
December 2nd 2009Ooh…those chocolate coated almonds sound delish!!
Jessica@HowSweet says:
December 2nd 2009I love that you added coffee! What a cool idea.
Diane Fit to the Finish says:
December 2nd 2009What a great idea! I love almonds, and even better when they are coated in chocolate.
Allie (Protein Girl) says:
December 2nd 2009Yum! I never thought of coffee infused nuts. Sounds delicious.
erin brooks says:
December 2nd 2009Joanna is that VIA instant coffee good?
The Candid RD says:
December 2nd 2009Yum!! These almond treats sound great. I should recommend them to atheletes! Whey protein powder is fantastic for them.
I love Starbuck’s instant coffee. I have only tried it once, but I was hooked.
Jess (Fit Chick in the City) says:
December 2nd 2009Brilliant! I tried adding a little via to a recipe last night, but I was not successful.
Geri says:
December 2nd 2009Going to try this tonight! Love your wine glass!
Evan Thomas says:
December 2nd 2009That’s a great idea for instant coffee! I would love to try this with decaf
Joanna Sutter says:
December 2nd 2009Erin, I love, love, love Starbucks VIA…I’ve had great success baking with it, drinking it like coffee (what a concept!), mixing it directly into a bottle of water for iced coffee w/out the ice (it mixes easy because it’s micro-ground), blending it into protein shakes, protein lattes, and now baked into almonds.
Evan, That’s right! VIA is now available in decaf! Brilliant!
carrie says:
December 2nd 2009very clever…i am going to try these!
Zoë says:
December 2nd 2009Ooo! Brilliant almond idea! And that sounds like a great holiday gift too! Luckily the local Costco carries a huge bag of raw almonds at a very very very great price. Thanks for the recipe!
Sondra Dubas says:
December 2nd 2009Great coffee conversation! And awesome coffee nut idea!! I break out of my “don’t know how to cook” mode and try it!!!
Marisa (Trim The Fat) says:
December 2nd 2009Coffee almonds?? I am SO making these! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
angela says:
December 2nd 2009life really doesn’t get any better than starbucks does it? the coffee-coated almonds are my favorite – aside from my grande americano of course. i would have NEVER thought to make them…you’re brilliant. and a woman after my own heart trying to make chocolate coated almonds. my guilty pleasure the past few months has been the dark cocoa covered almonds from emerald which you can find in any grocery store or target. the cocoa adds antioxidants and trace amount of calories…but they cure any sugar craving. neat tip: the lid of the canister is exactly 1/4c or one serving. my problem – i can’t stop at one serving, so i’ve now implemented a self-monitoring mechanism: i now buy the 100-calorie packs so i can’t keep dipping (and re-dipping) in the container. my mission: make these nifty little almonds for christmas gifts for friends and neighbors…what better gift than chestnuts…er, almonds roastin’ on an open fire! thanks joanna – amazing as always!
FatFighterTV says:
December 3rd 2009I adore almonds! Mmmm….
Protein supplements says:
December 3rd 2009almond idea sounds like a great holiday gift too
Kevin says:
December 6th 2009That sounds like an awesome idea! I’m finally back from studying and have a little time to read what i’ve missed the last few weeks…tons of good stuff Joanna!