Chocolate Almonds
Back when I had a much unhealthier diet, chocolate almonds were my biggest weakness. The crazy thing about sugar is how addictive it is - quite literally a drug we are all addicted to without even realizing it. The most interesting part about this, is how your body adjusts to the amounts of sugar it is given. You can increase the sweetness of the foods you eat (which will seem too sweet at first) but eventually your body will get used to that sugar level and crave it- eventually the foods you used to eat won't be sweet enough for you. Like wise, if you decrease your sugar intake, you will feel that you need more sugar… but after a while the foods you used to eat will seem sickening-ly sweet. Candy bars or chocolate bars like Cadbury or OHenry or whatnot for example, are addictively sweet: So sweet you are immediately thirsty after taking a bite but mistakenly interpret this thirst for hunger, prompting more consumption of these sweet things. I don't like desserts like these, so I started making my own to able to choose the degree of sweetness in them. This recipe is one example- although my sister makes them much better that I do so this recipe is mostly her invention.
You'll Need
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
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1/2 cup pure maple syrup
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1/4 cup almond milk
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2/3 cup pure cacao powder
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1 TSP vanilla extract
THE REST
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~2 cups raw almonds
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*optional: few drops peppermint or orange extract for flavouring OR sea salt
Begin by roasting the almonds. Toasting any nut in the oven really brings out its full range of flavours- that's when a nut really comes to life. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the almonds on a baking pan and bake for about 10-13 minutes, or until the almonds are browned and fragrant. They burn quickly right after they are well toasted so keep an eye on them.
While the almonds are baking, combine the almond milk, maple syrup, cacao & vanilla in a pot. Whisk the mixture around until it is thick and well-combined. You can add in other extracts or flavours to get your desired type of chocolate almonds.
Once the almonds are toasted, take them out of the oven and let them cool. Once they have cooled, fold them into the chocolate mixture.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper or tin foil. Spread the almond mixture evenly on top and keep in the freezer overnight. They might finish sooner but generally, they need adequate time to freeze before they are ready. After enough time in the freezer the chocolate will be rich cold and chewy. Be careful not to make this with too much almond milk (which I used to do) because the chocolate will completely freeze up and just taste like chocolate ice.
Overall this makes more of a bark than individual chocolate-covered almonds. You can do the same thing with other nuts like walnuts or pecans :)
Once they have frozen you are good to go! Prepare to have sticky fingers hehe