Sometimes the truth hits you like a ton of bricks. That’s what happened with these almonds. I had been buying their equivalent from Trader Joe’s and consuming each $5 package within a few days. To say the least, they’re addicting. Each one is like a meal – sweet, salty, savory and healthy, all wrapped up in a neat little package. But the ephinany hit when I stepped into my kitchen and noticed the large bag of local almonds, ridiculous amounts of dark chocolate, and large jugs of turbinado sugar and sea salt in the cabinet. Considering Trader Joe’s sells a 72% superior-quality dark chocolate bar that is imported from Belgium and costs under $5, there was no reason not to make these myself. These turned out with a thinner chocolate shell than their storebought counterparts partially because of my impatience, but on the plus side I got more almonds out of it (~150).
1 cup dark chocolate shavings (1 overflowing cup of broken-up chocolate)
125-150 raw almonds
2t sea salt, or other coarse salt
2T turbinado sugar, or other coarse sugar
Instructions:
1. Place chocolate in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on a medium power level, checking and stirring every 30 seconds, until it is just melted. If the liquid chocolate is hot and very thin, let it cool for a few minutes until it thickens.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Toss about half of the almonds in the bowl and mix them with a small spoon to coat with chocolate. Take them out with the spoon and place one at a time on the baking sheet as shown above. Repeat the process with the remaining almonds until you’ve expended your supply of chocolate.
3. Mix the salt and sugar in a small dish and sprinkle over the top of the almonds. Freeze the tray for about 30 minutes and then let sit on the counter for another 30 minutes. Place in a sealed container and store at room temperature. If they aren’t fully dry, you can place the container in the refrigerator for an additional hour.
| Nutrition Facts |
|---|
| Serving Size 10 almonds Servings per Batch 15 |
| Amount Per Serving |
| Calories 130 |
| Total Fat 10g |
| Total Carbohydrate 7.5g |
| Dietary Fiber 2.2g |
| Sugars 4.3g |
| Protein 4g |
* Approximately 2/3 of the fat is from the almonds, the other 1/3 is from the chocolate.
Additional Info:
Here’s a little comparison of the before and after cooling pictures of the almonds. The fact that they were taken from near the same perspective was on accident but pretty nifty eh?