Homemade Almond Joy
I tried on about thirty different pairs of skinny jeans last week. It wasn’t cute. This trend is not ok with me.
I have thighs. They rub together a little.
These candies might be why.
If you feel compelled to make some sort of joke about the word ‘joy’ in the title of this recipe and my name… which is also Joy.
Well… go on. Get it out of your system.
Just don’t make any Joy to the World jokes. I’m so over those.
I really like what’s going on with these little gems. I combined unsweetened coconut with sweetened condensed milk and toasted almonds… and I covered the whole thing in dark chocolate. Seriously good.
But aren’t Almond Joys kind of a Grandpa candy bar? No… that’s Baby Ruth… totally an old dude candy bar.
Homemade Almond Joy
makes about 30 little bars
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
30 almonds
about 20 ounces (a bag and a half) of good quality semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, spread raw almonds onto a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Stir in the unsweetened coconut. The mixture will be thick. Place mixture in the freezer for 3o minutes. It’s easier to work with if it’s a little cold.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the coconut mixture from the freezer. With clean hands shape one tablespoon of coconut into a little log about 2 inches long and 3/4-inch thick. Press the logs together very well so they don’t crack when dipped. Place the log on the lined baking sheet and continue until all of the coconut mixture is gone. Rinse hands occasionally if they get too sticky. Press an almond on top of each coconut log. It might not completely stick. That’s ok. Place the baking sheet in the fridge to chill while you melt the chocolate.
Place a medium pot with two inches of water over a medium flame. Bring the water to a simmer. Place chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl and place the bowl over the simmering water. Stir the chocolate as it melts. Turn off the flame once the chocolate has melted but keep the bowl of melted chocolate over the hot water.
Remove the coconut candies from the fridge. Place one coconut almond log on a fork. Use a spoon to scoop a bit of chocolate over the almond. This will help the almond stick to the candy and not fall off during dipping. Lower fork into chocolate and spoon chocolate over candy to coat. Lift fork and gently shake to release some of the chocolate. Scrape the bottom of the fork along the side of the bowl and place on the lined baking sheet. You might need a toothpick to help get the candy off the fork. Repeat until all candy is coated in chocolate. If chocolate gets thick, just turn on the flame and heat slightly.
Let dipped candy harden in the fridge for 45 minutes. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. If you need to layer the candy in a container, use waxed paper to separate the layers.
254 Comments Add A Comment
I always enjoy your blog, but today I am in love.
wow. just, wow. dream come true.
I was always disappointed by Mounds/Almond Joys…why does it have to be EITHER milk chocolate with almonds OR dark chocolate without? I want dark chocolate Almond Joy! Now, I can have both! Mmwahahahaha :) Thank you!
That’s the perfect Monday treat ! I will certainly be making these and enjoy them on a Monday in the very near future with a cold Diet Coke (my mom always told me if you eat a candy bar and drink a Diet Coke,it will cut the calories of the candy bar in half,that’s real nutritional education right there) !
Thank you, Meredith, for sharing that very valuable bit of nutritional information. I think it is probably the most useful advise I have received in a long time. And from a total stranger at that! You are totally awesome.
What’s really bad is that I have just about 7 oz of leftover sweetended condensed milk sitting in my fridge just waiting to be used up PLUS the other ingredients. I wanted to work on dropping 5 lbs this week too. Damn, you Joy!
apologies
my dad will surely like ‘em…..ahem.
ooh these look so intriguing! Yum!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I literally L’dOL when I read the part about the “old dude candy bar”! I will forever see that as an old dude candy bar. Or at least one that Chunk from Goonies always loved!
Do you get the “Joy to the world, all the boys and girls…” song, well I had a boss who every day thought it was necessary to sing “Sarah, Sarah, no time is a good time for goodbye…” Why do people do this? Don’t you just love having a name that’s in a song?!
My husband (a semi-old dude) is going to make me stop following you if you don’t take back the Baby Ruth comment!
oh man…. but it’s true!!!
Yay! These are my favorite candies! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I just said almost the same thing about skinny jeans to my sister this week. So glad to know I’m not the only one not okay with these things. I’m waiting for this trend to pass because it just doesn’t work on my short, almond-joy loving body. Thanks for another great recipe.
JOY….I’m not usually a commenty person but I’m a pregnant mamma and CRAVING nothing more than Almond Joy!!! PERFECT…thank you thank you thank you…you’ve made my baby’s day!! And this mamma is glowing just looking through the pictures :) Did I mention the drool : /
Skinny jeans do not make anyone look skinny. I have had to learn this from personal experience. And being 12. SERIOUSLY.
–Lena :)
Oh my! These are one of my favorites! I am so going to be making them soon!
When I saw this recipe my first thought was that it is going to be the bomb for Christmas gifts! Homemade candy seems a bit more exotic (and difficult) than homemade cookies. Thanks much.
This stuff looks seriously delicious! Thanks for ruining my diet again! Luv ya for it!
Hey Joy! I love this post .. skinny jeans are not for me either..
I love your hands too: very elegant but also capable of great (yummy) things! :P
you make me swoon over coconut and chocolate…sigh.
I love almond joys – these look amazing!
Coconut AND chocolate?! How could it get any better! You really live up to your name
These look even better than the real thing! I will print off this recipe, because I like making homemade candies to give away as gifts at Christmas. These surely fit the bill!
These look amazing!! I actually spent one summer in high school working in the Almond Joy factory in my hometown (what’s better than an almond joy, is a freshly created almond joy right off the conveyor belt!!)…….
And please PLEASE —- rock some skinny jeans!!! My thighs are basically a uni-thigh but I refuse to let that stop me from enjoying the spandex-y comfort of skinny jeans!!
I AM SO EXCITED!!! MY BIRTHDAY IS COMMING UP IN A WEEK AND THIS WILL BE AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO THE TRIPLE CHOCOLATE SUICIDE CAKE THAT I AM MAKING!!! THANKS AGAIN!!! I CANT WAIT JEN
Almond Joy’s are my mom’s favorite…I think we will definitely add these to the Christmas baking list!
I really like what’s going on with those little gems too! Almond Joys were always one of my favs. I’m secretly glad I don’t have any unsweetened coconut right now though. I would eat the whole batch of those!
Skinny jeans are the enemy! I wish I could burn every single one of them in existence! And live a life full of these treats and skinny jeans free.
Clark Bars are totally old men candy bars. These look perfectly wonderful.
You’re the devil. And I mean that in the most endearing way possible.
Wait a minute – I like Baby Ruths, and I’m not an old dude! I think Hard Butterscotch candies are old dude candies….no wait, those are Old Lady candies. Whatever.
These look great.
And trust me, you get to an age (35 I believe) where you stop caring if your thighs rub together and just buy a pair of fat pants!
I want this. Right now!
Holy mackerel! These look insanely good. And can be made gluten-free to boot! Thank you for making my holiday dessert planning easier :)
Wow, these look sooooooo yummy! I plan on making these babies soon. And speaking of old men Clark Bars, I actually work in the building of the old Clark Bar factory and we still have the giant candy bar sign!
omg i love almond joy and i just had one yesterday ! lol gitta love halloween candy thats assorted ! :]
I feel you on the skinny jean trend. And, I thought I was the only one! So glad I’m not.
As if my hormones weren’t chanting “chocolate, chocolate, chocolate” already…they are now!
Okay, I want to just inhale the picture. My two favorite candy bars are Almond Joy’sand Skybars.
Don’t know if Skybars are even available anymore but at least I now can make my own Almond Joys.
Thanks, Joy!
Joy, your blog is lovely. Fantastic recipes and commentary. One question about the almond joys–I accidentally bought sweetened coconut. Any suggestions on how to adjust the sugar content of your recipe? Thank you!
clearly you have never eaten a baby ruth…those guys are dee-licious
try denim leggings in a super duper dark wash. like borderline black. they are WAY more comfortable than skinny jeans and, in my opinion, look better on almost everyone. and the dark washes are the most slimming.
Nothing old dude about these babies – they look delicious, of course I’m slightly biased since coconut and chocolate are two of my favorites, these look great, to hell with skinny jeans ;)
If Baby Ruths are grandpa candy bars, I think Whatchamacallits should be reveling in the comeback that skinny jeans are enjoying. They’re so 80s (ok, so apparently created in 1978) and I love ‘em!
Your Almond Joys are brilliant and adorable! Makes me wish I liked coconut, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make them for someone who does. :)
On the skinny note- I’m a pretty slim girl (my thighs don’t rub…) but skinny doesn’t look good on me either. You have to be anorexic to look good in that thing. It would soon disappear! (or I hope it would…)
And- I love your blog and admire your endless energy to create and post!
I love Almond Joys.
I hate skinny jeans.
This solves both problems. (Because once you eat enough of them, skinny jeans become a moot point.)
:o)
Joy, I mean this in the most plutonic non creepy stalker way…….You have pretty hands & I would like to stroke them. :)
Since this is a very joyful (sorry, necessary) post, I thought I’d let you know how happy you make my friends and me. I shared your blog with a few of my baking-loving sorority sisters, and they adore it just as much as I do. Your delightful baking and witty commentary bring smiles to our faces and ease the stress of tests, papers, and grad school apps. Thank you for making my days a little sweeter!
I think my favorite part of the recipe is this:
“I have thighs. They rub together a little.
These candies might be why.”
You’re a funny girl. Enjoyable!
Definitely worth giving up the skinny jeans for. Not all trends in life need to be followed. But chocolate with coconut and almonds. Well that’s a different story…
Almond Joys are my absolute favorite candy bar. Unfortunately I’m the only one in my house that loves coconut. Dare I make this recipe just for myself? Just maybe. Thanks Joy!
Oh! My! Gosh! Almond Joy is hands down my favorite candy in the world! Yummmmm!
Oh you evil evil woman ;) All this pregnant lady has been craving is Almond Joys. I can’t wait to try these!!! YUM!