Just 4 ingredients in these sweet and salty almond clusters. Toasting the almonds turns them up a notch!
So I have to confess that today’s recipe isn’t really a recipe. It’s beyond easy, using only 4 ingredients, and one of them is… salt. Though there is a little method to its simplicity! Basically what we’ll be doing is making a version of my dark chocolate sea salt almonds. Remember those from this past summer? I made them because I had something similar from Trader Joe’s– almonds covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt and turbinado sugar.
And they’re sorta healthy! All you’re eating is almonds and dark chocolate.
What we’ll do today, though, is form them into clusters instead of leaving them as individual chocolate covered almonds. It’s like eating a handful of the individual almonds at once (which is the only way to eat them in my opinion).
And it’s all soooo glorious!
Start with high quality almonds. Fresh, whole, and protein-packed Diamond of California almonds. My beloved brand for YEARS! And the best tasting, in my opinion. For a little extra flavor, let’s toast those almonds before we pour dark chocolate on top.
For the chocolate, you can use any pure quality chocolate like Ghirardelli or Baker’s baking bars, Lindt, Trader Joe’s pound plus bar, etc. I use semi-sweet, but bittersweet is just as tasty. Especially if you love deeper, darker chocolate flavor.
Basically– since there are few ingredients– make sure you’re using quality stuff. I guarantee you’ll taste a difference.
You can melt the chocolate using a double boiler or a microwave, whichever you prefer. You can also temper the chocolate, though that’s not necessary. I personally like these sea salt dark chocolate almond clusters right out of the refrigerator. And you should not refrigerate tempered chocolate. (If you’re interested in learning more about tempering chocolate, I blab on and on about it in Sally’s Candy Addiction cookbook!)
So once the melted chocolate and toasted almonds are perfectly combined, spoon into clusters, then sprinkle with sea salt and turbinado sugar. These two garnishes not only add a little exciting flavor, but a pleasant sweet and salty crunch as well. Essentially, those little sprinkles are everything. Which makes me realize how crazy fantastic actual sprinkles would be on top of these. Rainbow-topped sea salt dark chocolate clusters!!
Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: about 30 clusters
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Just 4 ingredients in these positively addicting sea salt dark chocolate almond clusters. Toasting the almonds turns them up a notch!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) whole almonds
- 8 ounces (226g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped*
- sea salt
- turbinado sugar (or any coarse/raw sugar)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread almonds out in a single layer and toast for 10-12 minutes, stirring once during that time. Set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or (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. On a large lined baking sheet, drop a spoonful of the coated almonds. (Spoonful can be as large or small as you’d like. My clusters had about 10-12 almonds each in them.) Sprinkle 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.
Notes
- Chocolate: Make sure you’re using high quality chocolate. I prefer Lindt, Baker’s, or Ghirardelli. Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bar works too! I usually use semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use bittersweet for a deeper and less sweet dark chocolate flavor.
Keywords: dark chocolate almond clusters, sea salt chocolate almond clusters
Just curious – Why do these have to be refrigerated if not tempering the chocolate? Dark chocolate and nuts are my absolute favorite combination!
Hi Janet, we find the fridge is the best way to store these to avoid them melting into each other!
I’m looking to mail a few of these (2-3 days to ship maximum) and climate is cool from here to destination. Is there much risk of a melt?
Hi Anne, it’s hard to say for sure, but we do recommend storing the refrigerator for best results and longest shelf life.
These are a favorite! The perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I love how quickly they come together for a sweet but healthier snack.
★★★★★
Easy to make after dinner treat to satisfy the chocolate cravings in the house! Toasting the almonds adds so much great flavor.
★★★★★
I made these with a higher concentration of cocoa which made them a lot less sweet. They still turned out great!
Can you substitute pistachios? If so what measurement would you reccomend?
We can’t see why not! Use the same amount of shelled pistachios.
This is great!
How can I adjust the thickness of the chocolate coating?
If I want it to be thicker?
Hi KS, You can try dipping/coating them twice for more chocolate 🙂
To dip them twice should I make the clusters as specified and then dip the clusters in more melted chocolate? Or would increasing the amount of original chocolate work? Thanks!
Hi Anita, we’d recommend dipping them in chocolate once, letting it set ever so slightly, and then dipping them again.
For holiday gifts, I have been making chocolate clusters with whatever I decide for each batch to put in, but some kind of nut was always one. Mine have been just chocolate and nuts. I’ve always liked the crumbled pretzel clusters–I always made sure to add-in any salt that fell off, so I know I’ll love these. I’ll have to wait till closer to the holidays to make these or there won’t be any left.
Almonds are harder nuts than some nuts like pecans or peanuts; chopping the nuts as someone asked about might be good for those who have difficulty with hard foods.
Looks delish, thank you! Are you using raw almonds or roasted? What about roasted & salted?
I typically use raw unsalted almonds and toast them in step 1. You can use whatever you like best.
Why can’t tempered chocolate be refrigerated? Thanks!
Hi Susie! Keeping tempered chocolate in the refrigerator causes it to bloom, which is when the cocoa butter separates, rises to the surface, and you see a white film on top. Still safe to eat, but not very easy on the eyes!
These were addictive! I made a batch to bring to a new mama as almonds are considered a great food to eat while nursing… And, what new mama doesn’t want chocolate? Anyways, I’m due with my 2nd this week and CANNOT wait to make batch upon batch of these. Love this recipe.
Could I use pecans ? I Can’t have almonds, I’m allergic. Almonds give me a mouth full of blisters .
Think you
Absolutely.
Sally, these are dangerously easy! and so, so, so good! I’ll be honest, I made the individual dark chocolate almonds that inspired this recipe .. a full batch last night & a half batch the night before.. then tonight I made clusters. omg me & the hubby have just been devouring them! I did the original dark chocolate w/ sea salt & coarse sugar but I also did half in white chocolate w/ sea salt & non pareils. little funfetti clusters if you will! so good! thanks for another great recipe 🙂
Would it be possible to use milk chocolate? I know it is physically possible, but i was wondering if you would still add the salt and extra sugar on top if it were milk chocolate.
You can absolutely use milk chocolate instead. I would still add sea salt. Maybe not the coarse sugar.