Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

It has been awhile since I have made anything that somewhat resembles something healthy, so here you go!

I used to make roasted chickpeas a lot, they are such a yummy snack to take care of a craving for something crunchy, either sweet or salty.

While they aren't hard, they can take a bit until they are done.  When I first made these, I followed the recipe exactly but my chickpeas never got crunchy.  They would actually start to burn on the outside before the insides got even a little crunchy.  I tried lots of different variations when it came to cooking until I found the process that works best for me.

First you want to drain and rinse, get all of that starchy liquid rinsed off.  Then they need to be dried off and the little white skins removed.  I found that rubbing them with a paper towel gets them dry and loosens up that skin to be easily pulled off.

Once they are all clean, I actually put them in my oven for an hour on 200.  This is my own personal theory, but if you immediately toss them in oil, that oil keeps any moisture on the inside from getting out, resulting in somewhat soggy chickpeas.  By drying them out before they get tossed in the seasoning mix of your choice, the chance of a crunchy chickpea goes up dramatically!

You can see they look a little dried out, which is what you want.  Then toss them in the seasoning mix.  This version, which is now my favorite, includes canola oil, cinnamon and sugar.  The great thing about these little guys, is that you can customize that mixture based on preferences and mood.  Once your mixture is ready, toss in the chickpeas and stir until coated.  Put them back on the cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Check them, toss them around a bit and sample one.  If they aren't crispy enough, put back in for 5-10 minutes.  Keep checking them so you don't burn them though!

 They should look something like this when done.  This is when you toss them in some honey and put back on the cookie sheet to cool off before eating or storing.

I made these last night and it seriously took A LOT of willpower not to polish off most of them!  They tasted so good!  The honey coating after they have baked really takes them up a notch!  I am eating them now, oh my, so good!  Finger licking good to be precise!  I am definitely making more tonight!  One can doesn't really make a lot, so might as well just double or triple the recipe right off the bat!
So I have done some research on these and cooking methods and all of them, including the source of this particular version: Two Peas & Their Pod, shows that you toss in the seasonings and bake.  Try both ways, maybe you will have better luck than me!

Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas or garbanzo beans
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbl granulated sugar
1 Tbl honey

Directions:

1. Drain and thoroughly rinse off beans.  Pour onto paper towel and gently rub with another paper towel to help them dry off and that will loosen up the shell type pieces.  Remove and discard those.
2. Place beans on a lined cookie sheet and bake/dry out in 200 degree oven for about an hour.  Remove and turn oven up to 325.
3. Place oil, cinnamon and sugar in bowl, mix.  Toss beans in oil mixture until coated.  Return to cookie sheet and bake for at least 25 minutes.  If they haven't reached your desired level of crispiness, return at 5 minute increments.
4. When beans are done, toss with honey until coated.  Return to cookie sheet to cool off.  Once cool place in an airtight container.  Best if eaten within the first 24 hours.

*Note: If increasing the size of the batch, make sure your cookie sheet has enough 'wiggle' room, if not it will take them longer in the oven, for both stages.