Happy [almost] Halloween, guys and ghouls!
Well, I’m officially in the home stretch… 36 weeks pregnant and thanking baby Jesus for Halloween (is that twisted?! ha!) as an “excuse” to be eating all the sweet things. These days, anything coconut & chocolate has my whole attention. Actually, rewind. That’s been true for me since I was a little girl! Almond joys were always my “gas station road trip treat” pick and what I would swap my other Halloween candy for, yes even Snickers and Twix bars. My brothers thought I was crazy, but there’s just something about the chocolate, coconut and almond combo that gets me every time!
So, now that I’m a “grown up” and consuming candy bars isn’t a regular pastime, making homemade (and thus, healthier) versions of my favorite childhood candies seems a lot more appealing. And, it’s a fun way to infuse a little nostalgia into the everyday. Especially when they’re as easy as these! With that said, I was thrilled when I came across this recipe from the toasted pine nut. I loved her version so much and watching her live instastory, that I was inspired to make them the very same night. Ok, pregnancy cravings may have been the actual impetus, but that’s neither here nor there. I tweaked just a few things, like adding cinnamon and vanilla and a little more coconut oil. Also, I must have made mine smaller because mine made about 15 almond joys!
Buen provecho and Happy Halloween!
- 2 cups dried coconut (fine) + some for sprinkling on top
- ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon coconut oil (melted, not solid)
- 2 Tablespoons agave nectar or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 heaping teaspoon sea salt
- 14-16 almonds
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- In a food processor, add coconut, ¼ cup coconut oil, agave, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and pulse until thoroughly combined.
- Use your hands to form little oblong shapes, squeezing to cohere. Set in individual cupcake/muffin liners or on a cookie sheet/large plate lined with parchment paper.
- Carefully press 1 almond into the top of each coconut mound. You may need to "resqueeze" to get the shape again.
- Melt chocolate and remaining (1Tablespoon) coconut oil. Put coconut mound on spoon to dip in chocolate or use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over, depending on the effect/how much chocolate you'd like. Sprinkle coconut on top.
- Refrigerate until ready to enJOY!
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