I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand how flavored store-bought nuts are so heavily coated in the powder that you can’t even taste the nuts themselves. When I came across this recipe for Sriracha powder, I decided to try my hand at homemade flavored almonds to see if I could get the perfect flavor balance.

The ratio of powder to almonds turned out just the way I like it — full-on almond with just a hint of spice, which sneakily kicks in after a few seconds. I found the almonds to be a tad too salty since the method I followed calls for salt and the concentrated flavor of the Sriracha powder is also on the salty side. Now, the bf would argue otherwise since he has a salty palate – regardless, I plan to make a batch without salt next time for comparison.

Homemade Sriracha roasted almonds

 Adapted from Tasting Table and Allrecipes.com

• 2 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1/2 lb whole raw almonds
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Roasted almonds: Turn oven up to 275 degrees. Whisk egg white and water together until foamy. Add almonds and toss to coat. Transfer to a sieve; toss gently and let drain. Stir together Sriracha powder, salt and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add almonds and toss to coat.

Spread almonds on a sil-pat lined (note: do not use parchment paper – I tried that with a second batch and it was no bueno. The almonds had bits of parchment stuck to them – yuck!) baking sheet in a single layer, and bake 30 minutes. Gently stir, reduce temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking 20 more minutes. Let cool completely before serving. Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to a week.