Crispy Roasted Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas have become quite the fad in the past several months, and I've seem them with all manner of seasonings. They always look fantastic, but I've had little luck with the recipe.

But I kept trying, because I figured I had to be doing something wrong. On this fateful attempt, whilst transferring my chickpeas to dry, I noticed the skin peeling off some of the chickpeas.

Chickpeas have skin?

I know! I was surprised, too. I'm usually just dumping them into a pot of soup, so I don't handle them much. But as I peeled away the skin, out popped what appeared to be a shiny, new chickpea -- with a harder, nuttier texture.

And hurray, crispy roasted chickpeas!

You can use any seasoning blend that you prefer on these. I opted for a milder mixture this time around, but I think I'll go with something zestier next time, like a Cajun or Creole blend.

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Makes about 1 cup

Chickpeas
1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Seasoning blend, to taste
Kosher salt, for sprinkling (I used a smoked chipotle salt)

Seasoning blend
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine seasoning blend ingredients.

2. Rinse and drain chickpeas.

You're welcome for this helpful photo of how to drain chickpeas. I'm practicing with all these new lenses that the hubby keeps putting on the camera.

3. Remove skins from chickpeas, if you have the time and inclination. For most, you simply have to sort of squeeze the chickpea, and it pops right out of its skin.

The skins creep me out, in a haunted-house-"guess-what's-in-the-bowl"-game sort of way.

4. Lay the chickpeas on a few paper towels, and blot them with another paper towel to dry. It was such a nice, bright, sunny day in my kitchen that does not yet have blinds put on the windows, so I let my chickpeas soak up some rays to dry.

5. Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with your hands to ensure the oil is evenly distributed.

6. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring once, until chickpeas are brown and crispy.

7. Sprinkle immediately with seasoning blend and salt. Then serve 'em up!

These are addictive, so it shouldn't be any problem to eat them in one sitting. If you have extras, store tightly covered. But they don't seem to keep well for more than a couple of days.