candy

Knock-off Trader Joe's Almond Butter Cups

How to Make them

  1. Separate foil/paper cups.

  2. In a small bowl, combine almond butter, swerve, vanilla and maple syrup.

  3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate.

  4. Spoon 2/3s of chocolate into foil cups.

  5. Press down a 1 cm cubed ball of almond butter mixture into each cup while chocolate is still melted.

  6. Cover with remaining chocolate & sprinkle with flaked sea salt.

  7. Let set at room temperature, or place in fridge.

What You’ll Need

24 mini paper / foil wrappers

1/4 Cup all natural smooth almond butter, salted

2 Tbsps Swerve Powdered Sugar Replacement

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 Cup high quality dark chocolate (70% or above)

Flaked sea salt for finishing

 
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Almond Roca (Christmas Crack)

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How to make it

This is a time sensitive recipe - so I HIGHLY recommend you get everything ready first, and read the full instructions! Alternative, watch the quick 5 minute video in this post for step by step directions! :) The entire cooking process will take ~30 minutes.

  1. Prepare! Grab a heavy bottom sauce pan and place on stove top. Near the stove, have either a candy thermometer ready, or a cup of ICE cold water, a spatula (and plate to rest it on), all your ingredients measured.

  2. Grease a cookie sheet with butter- I do this by taking the foil of the butter in the recipe and rubbing it on the sheet edge to edge.

  3. Over medium heat, combine salted butter, sugar and water. You MUST use salted butter - it stabilizes the mixture.

  4. Once melted, give it a good stir to ensure mixture is homogeneous.

  5. Allow mixture to cook over medium heat, stirring every 3-4 minutes to ensure sugar does not burn to bottom of pan.

  6. Mixture will go from a pale anemic bubbling mixture to a light brown. At this point, sprinkle in cream of tartar. This will help with candy texture and prevent crystallization.

  7. Once mixture is light brown, place thermometer into pan, and stir every minute or so.

  8. Once mixture hits 295F, turn off heat, remove from burner, and stir in almonds, and spread onto cookie sheet.

    ALT: If you DO NOT have a candy thermometer, once the candy starts to brown, place small drops into a cup of ICE cold water next to the stove. If the drops come out bendy at all, it is NOT ready. If they form a hard ball and can be ‘cracked’ the mixture ready!

  9. Allow mixture to cool.

  10. On the stove top, or in the microwave, temper your chocolate (melt it 90%, then stir in a little un-melted chocolate.

  11. Spread over the cooled candy base in a thin even layer. Sprinkle with remaining chopped roasted almonds.

  12. Let cool, and then roughly break apart or chop.

  13. Enjoy ! This makes a great gift if you package it up!

What you’ll need

Ingredients

1 Cup Salted Butter (High quality such as Gay Lea)

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Water

1 Cup Roasted Almonds, Chopped (+1 Tbsp reserved for topping)*

1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar

60 Grams Milk Chocolate (Lindt)

60 Grams Dark Chocolate (Lindt)

1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

*Roast in oven @ 325 for ~15-20 minutes (low and slow).

Prep / Equipment

Heavy Bottom Sauce Pan

Candy Thermometer (or cup of ice cold water)

Heat Resistant Spatula

Cookie Sheet