Cocoa Dusted Almonds

DittoDan

I used to buy cocoa dusted almonds at the store. They were so good, but cost a lot more than plain almonds. And I think they use sugar, albeit a miniscule amount. So I was at Walmart the other day looking for some liquid sugar free sweetener. Then I came upon some Monkfruit (packets). I have been hearing about this sweetener for months. So I bought some.

I then thought what can I make with it? I know, Cocoa Dusted Almonds!

So, I though how will I bind the dust to the almond. I first thought oil of some kind. Then I thought, for a finger food it might be to messy. So I put my dry salted roasted almonds in a small bowl of water. Naturally, it washed the salt off of it. I drained and lightly patted them down with a paper towel.

Then I got a bowl and put 2 grams of Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder in the bowl. I weighed it. If I had to guess, I would say it was a level teaspoon. Then I took two packets of Monkfruit and mixed it up. I dropped in a 1/4 cup almonds in and jiggled and tossed them until they were coated fully. I noticed I still had some powder left. So I put another 1/4 cup. That was just about perfect. Not much left at all.

So now they're wet(ish). I ate one, it was soggy and not firm anymore. I thought I had ruined them. Hmmmm, I'll dry them out. I put them in a Pyrex measuring cup and put them in the oven. Set at 175 degrees for about an hour (maybe more). Then took them out and put in a small plastic container. Then in the morning, I tried one, OMGosh they were just like store bought! (no sogginess with great chocolate taste). Here is a pic of the ones that are left:




So if we reduce the recipe down, its simple:

Cocoa Dusted Almonds (serving size 1/4 cup)

1 serving of Almonds (1/4 cup)
1 Monk fruit packet
1 Gram of unsweetened Cocoa powder (my guess ~ about half a teaspoon, you're better off weighing it)

I'm not gonna even do the macro. Its such a small amount of cocoa. Just use one serving of almonds in MFP. And I can think of a bunch of variations, use different sweeteners, use different nuts. Maybe I'll go do some peanuts now.

So if you're tired of the same ol' same ol', try these easy to make tasty treats. If you try it, please report back, I'd like to see what you think.

I hope this helps,

Dan the Man from Michigan

totaloblivia

Sounds lovely: not sure where you get monkfruit in the UK, I've never heard of it! Thanks for sharing the results of your research!

IamUndrCnstruction

Thanks Dan, adding this to the file!

KeithF6250

Dan, thanks for this. I've been following your recent posts about almond/chocolate treats and doing modified versions without sweeteners. They're fine for me but I haven't found any I've offered to my wife yet. Next trip I'll look for monk fruit packets. From my brief reading on line, I'll read the labels carefully. It's often combined with other ingredients I don't want.

DittoDan

KeithF6250 wrote: »

Dan, thanks for this. I've been following your recent posts about almond/chocolate treats and doing modified versions without sweeteners. They're fine for me but I haven't found any I've offered to my wife yet. Next trip I'll look for monk fruit packets. From my brief reading on line, I'll read the labels carefully. It's often combined with other ingredients I don't want.

Be forewarned. I am not Paleo/primitive. And it you go to WikiPedia and read how they make Monk fruit, it might make you not consider it. Even though it come from a plant, they go through contortions to get it down to a usable product.

That doesn't bother me though.

I hope this helps,

Dan the Man from Michigan

yturie47

Thanks for a great idea, loooove my chocolate!

KeithF6250

I'm nor Paleo/Primitive or really even Keto. However, I am T2 and I've found that this WOE does the right things for my blood chemistry and weight. I've also found that if I just stay away from sweets I do just fine. I never cared for artificial sweeteners and like them even less now. My wife is a different story however.

Yesterday's concoction was just crunchy almond butter, cream cheese, coconut oil, coconut and cocoa powder; softened, mixed and formed into balls to chill in the fridge. For me they were fine w/o sweetener but for my wife I'll need to do something else.

jjejjtu

Thanks for another great recipe. Sounds delicious.

KetoCutie

KeithF6250 wrote: »

I'm nor Paleo/Primitive or really even Keto. However, I am T2 and I've found that this WOE does the right things for my blood chemistry and weight. I've also found that if I just stay away from sweets I do just fine. I never cared for artificial sweeteners and like them even less now. My wife is a different story however.

Yesterday's concoction was just crunchy almond butter, cream cheese, coconut oil, coconut and cocoa powder; softened, mixed and formed into balls to chill in the fridge. For me they were fine w/o sweetener but for my wife I'll need to do something else.

Awesome idea! I'm going to have to try these.

DittoDan

I did some pecans and peanuts using the same formula. The pecans were scrumptious! The peanuts were a little light on the dusting, so the chocolate didn't have much influence on the taste. Next time I will not dry them as much.

Here's a pic of them:





Dan the Man from Michigan