Cookie Madness Tip: You can roast small amounts of almonds (about ¾ cup at a time) in the microwave. Just spread the whole almonds on a paper towel and microwave on high for about 2 minutes. Halfway through, swirl them around with your hand and mix them up a bit. You'll know the almonds are toasted if they start to crack. Remove them from the microwave, let them cool (crisp up), and then taste. If you don't think they taste roasted, you'll know you need to microwave them a tad bit longer next time. My microwave takes 2 minutes for whole almonds. For some reason, pecan halves take a little longer. Of course the oven is the ideal way to toast the nuts evenly, but when the weather is hot and you only have a small amount of nuts to toast, try the microwave.