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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.

Cascabel
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David K
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  • If you're willing to wait 5 months : Make a large batch of spiced nuts, put them into decorative bags, and give them to all of your friends for christmas. – Joe Jul 11 '15 at 16:42
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    A couple of years? Seriously? My recipe: Compost... – Stephie Jul 11 '15 at 21:13
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    If you want to make your almond into almond meal, [this recipe](http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/gluten-free-almond-flour-shortbread-cookies-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 Jul 12 '15 at 00:21
  • @Catija : you can also roll sugar cookie dough in ground up almonds before baking (might not use it as quickly, doesn't require quite as fine of processing as almond flour) – Joe Jul 12 '15 at 14:49
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    If you're feeling artsy, you can try to make [marzipan](http://www.daringgourmet.com/2014/06/23/how-to-make-marzipan-almond-paste/). (although, not all eggs are pasteurized, but something like 'egg beaters' in a carton are. ) – Joe Jul 12 '15 at 14:53
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    @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 Jul 13 '15 at 09:47
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    @Catija and Joe, yes, those are exactly the type of suggestions I was looking for! – David K Jul 13 '15 at 12:14
  • If they are still good and you like almonds, you could toss them in a little olive oil and seasonings (rosemary, garlic, parmesan, cinnamon/sugar, etc.) and bake until crispy. I think about 15 - 20 minutes. – Brooke Jul 13 '15 at 14:46
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    In an attempt to make this specific enough to leave open and avoid it becoming a poll of everyone's favorite almond recipes, I've refocused the title and removed the implied question about what to use almond flour for - you can just search for recipes for that. – Cascabel Jul 13 '15 at 16:08
  • How big is "big"? (how many pounds, kilo's, cups, utils...?) – Cos Callis Jul 13 '15 at 16:16
  • @CosCallis the point of the edit is exactly to not specify how big is big. It should be applicable to anybody who finds themselves in a situation where they have more almonds than they can eat. If there is no way to answer such a question, we will have to close it anyway, because we generally don't allow questions of the "what should I do with X" type unless there is a good reason why "eat it as it is" or "search an ingredients database and choose whichever recipe strikes your fancy" won't work. – rumtscho Jul 13 '15 at 16:22
  • Yes @rumtscho, but 'big' could be anything from a pound to a pallet, and answers could be very different depending on OP's actual measure... – Cos Callis Jul 13 '15 at 19:58
  • @CosCallis I still don't see how it matters. It's an amount you're willing to cook with at home (not a pallet) and it's enough to want something that actually uses a lot, not just using them as a small part of a dish. If you really must know, it's in the revision history, but if you find yourself not giving an answer because you think it works with 2 pounds and not 5, you're probably not being helpful. – Cascabel Jul 14 '15 at 02:29

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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.

Dan C
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  • 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 Jul 13 '15 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 Jul 13 '15 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 Jul 13 '15 at 16:10
  • @Jefromi Whoops, I totally missed that. – Dan C Jul 13 '15 at 16:24
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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])
Marti
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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.

Joe
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  • 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 Jul 11 '15 at 14:27
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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 +/-)

Cos Callis
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    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 Jul 13 '15 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 Jul 13 '15 at 19:56
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    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 Jul 13 '15 at 20:26
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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.

Sarumanatee
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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

carly svendsen
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