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. 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!! For another easy homemade candy recipe, try white chocolate caramel cashew clusters next! Or browse all of my favorite gluten free dessert recipes for more inspiration.
