Makes 1⅓ cups
Finely chopped roasted almonds
Finely chopped roasted almonds are ideal for coating English Toffee. They are also used in many gluten-free pastry and cookie recipes.
One of the ways to use dry roasted almonds is to mix them in a blender to make these finely chopped almonds. So I use these mostly for making candy like English Toffee. I usually only chop 2 cups at a time so that I don’t have a lot left over. However, if you find that you have too much, then you can store the extra in the freezer. I use a blender to prepare these finely chopped almonds. I am not adept at using a food processor, so I tend to lean towards using a blender more often. My concern with a food processor is that they are so powerful that if you are not careful you may end up with roasted almond flour instead of finely ground almonds. If you decide to use a food processor, please let me know how well it works for you.
Keep in mind that you can also use a knife to get finely chopped almonds but it will take a little longer. This is especially true if you only have a small amount to do. If you have a half of a cup or less to do, then a knife may be more practical. For more than a half cup, the blender will definitely be faster. However, I also like to keep in mind that a knife is a lot easier to clean than a blender. No matter what method you use, you will still want to sift your almonds through a colander in order to have some consistency in the size of your chopped almonds and remove any large pieces. The large pieces left behind in the colander can be used in granola or eaten as a snack.
Ingredients needed to make finely chopped almonds.
The finely chopped almonds will be light and fluffy and easy to work with. The more coarsely chopped almonds left in the colander tend to have more oil and stick together.
Lastly, if you do not have roasted almonds, you can always use fresh almonds that have not been roasted.
Ingredients:
2 cups almonds, preferably dry roasted almonds
Instructions:
- Place the 2 cups of almonds in a blender.
- Whirl the almonds in the blender at a medium speed for about 10 seconds. Stop and scrape the sides of the blender occasionally to get the almonds down near the blades. Repeat this process 3 or 4 times so that most of the almonds have been finely chopped.
- Place a colander over a large bowl. Dump the contents of the blender into the colander.
- Stir the chopped almonds with a large spoon so that the finely ground almonds pass through the colander and end up in the bowl. The larger pieces will remain in the colander.
5. Return the large pieces to the blender.
6. Repeat the grinding process.
7. Sift these ground almond through the colander as before.
8. When finished you should have about 1⅓ cups finely chopped almonds and ⅔ cup of the more coarsely chopped almonds that were left behind in the colander.
Plates with coarsely chopped almonds on the left and finely chopped almonds on the right.
The coarsely chopped almonds tend to have more oil which causes them to stick together. The finely chopped almonds are lighter, fluffier, and are less likely to stick together. This makes them ideal for the coating on English toffee.
Finely Chopped Almonds
Finely chopped roasted almonds are ideal for coating English Toffee. They are also used in many gluten-free pastry and cookie recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Roasted almonds
Instructions
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Place 2 cups of shelled almonds in a blender. Roasted almonds are preferred.
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Whirl the almonds in the blender at a medium speed for about 10 seconds. Stop. Scrape the sides of the blender to get the almonds down near the blades. Blend again for about 10 seconds. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times so that most of the almonds have been finely chopped.
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Place a colander over a large bowl. Dump the contents of the blender into the colander.
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Stir the chopped almonds with a large spoon so that the finely ground almonds pass through the colander and end up in the bowl. The larger pieces will remain in the colander.
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Return the large pieces to the blender.
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Repeat the grinding process.
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Sift these ground almond through the colander as before.
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When finished you should have about 1⅓ cups finely chopped almonds and ⅔ cup of the more coarsely chopped almonds that were left behind in the colander.
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The coarsely chopped almonds tend to have more oil which causes them to stick together. The finely chopped onions are lighter, fluffier, and are less likely to stick together. This makes them ideal for the coating on English toffee.
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Please note that while the Nutrition Facts listed below are for 1 cup, this recipe makes 1 1/3 cups finely chopped almonds and 2/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds.
Thank you. Your site gave a lot of good info and the only site that states roasted almonds. It makes sense that roasted vs raw almonds will give more flavor. And I guess purchased roasted is good vs roasting my own.
Also your distinction re fineness and your preference for a blender is helpful. I can’t remember how I finely chopped my almonds (blender or food processor)the last time I made them. I was trying to make my mother’s vanilla crescent cookies. Tough act to follow plus it’s been many moons since I had Mom’s. I knew the nuts should be fine-ish to hold cookies together. I think there were some slightly bigger pieces.
My brother and his wife thought they were great and they liked the bits of nuts.
My memory kicked in and I think my mother used a hand grinder for her almonds. Much has changed re kitchen equipment. And not necessarily for the better. ; )
Hello Rita,
I’m glad that you enjoyed our recipe for finely chopped almonds. Purchased roasted almonds are handy but some of them are fried in oil, instead of being baked, which makes them a little oilier. Originally I used to chop the almonds with a sharp knife and then sift them through a colander to remove the large pieces. It worked well, but it was slow going. Thanks for your feedback.
Rev. McKinney