Candied Chickpea Snack Mix

Ingredients

1, 15.5-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

½ cup pecans

½ cup cashews

2 tablespoons canola or avocado oil

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup dried apricots, roughly chopped

¼ cup dried cherries

 

Cooking instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F (160˚C). 
  2. Spread the chickpeas on a large kitchen towel and dry off as much as possible, discarding any skins that come loose.
  3. Spread the dry chickpeas on a small rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes to dry them out. Remove from the oven and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil. Spread the pecans and cashews on a separate small baking sheet and toss with the remaining tablespoon of oil. 
  4. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, salt and cayenne and sprinkle half over each tray, shaking the baking sheets around a bit to coat evenly. Place both sheet trays in the oven and bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until crispy and dark golden brown. 
  5. Bake the nuts for about 20 minutes until just golden then remove from oven. Increase the heat to 350˚F (175˚C) and let the chickpeas cook for about 25 minutes longer, until crispy and golden brown. Let everything cool to room temperature before adding to a large bowl with the dried fruit and tossing to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.