[This is post #047 towards #100DaysOfFoodBlogging, our goal to do 100 posts in 100 days as part of The 100 Day Project. Yeah, we’re behind, but we’ll catch up…]

There’s an easy trick that can be used to make almost any dish taste better: Add toasted almonds and dried fruit.

Is your salad looking like just a bowl of leaves? Sprinkle in some almonds and dried cranberries.

Lonely bowl of vanilla ice cream? Invite some almonds and dried fruit to the party.

Tired of the same old Brussels sprouts? Almonds. Cranberries.

But does it work for instant Ramen?

Sure.

Since ramen noodles themselves don’t have any sort of strong flavor, they work quite well as base for a dessert. Brown butter makes everything better, while the almonds provide a crunch and the berries cut the richness with a pop of tart. And it’s fun to slurp noodles. It just is. I would slurp all of my meals if possible.

This isn’t overtly sweet and I enjoyed it. I ate the whole bowl, even though I had already eaten breakfast and only planned on tasting it. (And let’s be honest, there’s no good reason to waste brown butter).

Okay, so it tastes pretty good, but would I actually make this again?

Maybe?

I’m not quite sure where this dessert fits. It wasn’t difficult, but for the effort you could probably make something better. I might lean more towards making this for breakfast since it has the same vibes as oatmeal. But, I’m not sure this is better than oatmeal. It’s certainly not as nutritious.

However, the name does lend itself well to a restaurant menu. If I saw “Brown Butter Ramen with Almonds & Berries” on a dessert menu, I’d absolutely give it a try over chocolate cake, cheesecake, or some other mundane choice. And the name is probably why you clicked through.

Either way, it’s still a fun dish and is worth making at least once.

Brown Butter Ramen with Almonds & Berries

• 1 Package of Instant Ramen
• 3 Tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon of Honey
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Slivered Almonds
• 1/4 Cup Dried Berries
• Cinnamon

1. Toast the almonds over medium heat in a small frying pan until golden in color. It should take about five minutes, but your nose will also let you know when they’re done (it’ll smell like roasted nuts).

2.  Brown the butter using these tips. Once sufficiently brown and not burned, pour the butter into a small bowl and set aside.

3.  Prepare the ramen noodles per the instructions on the package (don’t use the flavor packets).

4.  Drain the noodles and place back into the pan you used to boil them. While still hot, pour in the butter, pinch of salt, honey, and berries. Toss until well mixed, then place in a shallow bowl. Top with almonds and a light dusting of cinnamon.