Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almonds Recipe
A Healthy Snack!
These were inspired by a carton of Trader Joes sea salt & turbinado sugar chocolate almonds. Have you ever tried them before? If so, you know the struggle.
A chocolate treat to feel good about!
Turns out, making them at home is cheaper. I don’t know if that is a wonderful or dangerous thing. And homemade always tastes better than store-bought.
The number one ingredient is almonds. Since there are so little ingredients in this snack, make sure you’re using high quality almonds, chocolate and salt. Blue Diamond Almonds are a great choice. Fresh, unsalted, nutrient-dense whole almonds. Doesn’t get much healthier than that! And now, the chocolate.
I’d like to take a dip in there myself!
Remember, quality ingredients are key. Use pure chocolate (not chocolate chips). I opted for bittersweet chocolate, but semi-sweet works just as well. If sweeter chocolate is more your style, milk or even white chocolate works too.
A helpful tool is this 3-piece dipping tool set. I use the 3-pronged tool for these to help lift the almonds out of the chocolate pool and shake off as much excess chocolate as I can. It helped me separate the almonds so I wasn’t left with chocolate almond clusters– rather, individual chocolate almonds.
The finishing touch is a sprinkle of sea salt and Sugar In The Raw sugar. Any coarse sugar will work. I love the added crunch the sugar gives and the way it balances the flavor of the sea salt. The nuts are wonderful simply coated in chocolate, but the light sprinkle of sugar & salt turns them up about 10 notches.
Only 4 simple, convenient ingredients transformed into something extraordinary. And within minutes too! Plus, they’re a great source of protein, energy, and let’s not forget all that glorious sweet and salty crunch.
Yield: 1 and 1/2 cups
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet high quality chocolate
- 1 and 1/2 cups Blue Diamond Almonds whole almonds (raw and unsalted)
- sea salt
- turbinado sugar, Sugar In The Raw (or any coarse/raw sugar)
Directions:
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or very carefully use the microwave. For the microwave, place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 30 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can temper the chocolate. If tempering, do not store finished nuts in the refrigerator.
Stir the almonds into the chocolate, making sure to coat each one. Using a dipping tool or a fork, lift the almonds out of the chocolate one by one or only a couple at a time (you don’t want them all sticking together!), gently tap the tool/fork against the side of the bowl to release excess chocolate, and place onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining almonds.
Sprinkle almonds with a little sea salt and turbinado sugar, then allow chocolate to completely set. I placed the baking sheet in the refrigerator to speed it up!
Store chocolate covered almonds in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Additional Notes:
For extra flavor, try toasting the almonds first! Simply spread them out onto a large baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes at 300°F (149°C). Allow to slightly cool before coating with chocolate.