Sweet and Salty Roasted Chickpeas

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A few weeks ago, I bought some honey-roasted chickpeas from Whole Foods.  They were delicious and I realized they couldn’t be that hard to make.  Turns out I was right (yay me, he he).  I decided I wanted to make a sweet and salty version, though.  Anything savory and sweet is right up my alley! First things first, what’s the difference between Garbanzo beans and Chickpeas?  Turns out, a whole lot of nothing (other than the name).  I’m calling them chickpeas, but know that Garbanzo beans are the same thing.

These roasted chickpeas are crunchy with a lovely nutty flavor, without being a nut.  That makes them a nice snack for people that suffer from nut allergies. They also happen to be vegan- something here for everyone!

Let’s make a snack!

You’ll start by draining the chickpeas and rinsing them.  Then put them on a paper towel-covered plate to dry.  Next preheat the oven and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pat the chickpeas dry and put them on the baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetable oil over the chickpeas and sprinkle on the salt.  You can also use canola oil in place of vegetable.  We’re looking for an oil with a neutral flavor.  Olive oil, for example, would not work well here because it might clash with the sweetness of the agave syrup. Now toss the chickpeas to coat them in the oil and salt.

 

Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring them halfway through to ensure even cooking. Take the sheet out of the oven and drizzle the agave syrup over the chickpeas.  Toss to coat them in the syrup.

Return them to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until the syrup has absorbed some and the chickpeas aren’t really sticky.

Cool and then crunch away.  Yum!