Chocolate-covered almond pralines

It's so much fun to make simple candies and confections during the holidays. They take us out of the norm of mixing cookie dough and hovering over our stand mixer, and we find ourselves at the stove-top, stirring and mixing a different kind of edible gift for our friends and family.

Last Christmas season, I whipped up a batch of candied almonds.  It was simple, tasty, and made great little gifts (at least I think so).  This year, I was tempted to step it up a bit and make praline (or candied) almonds coated with dark chocolate and then dusted with cocoa powder.  I think everything's better with chocolate!  And what better time to go the extra mile and dress things up a bit than right now at Christmastime.

These are easy to make and one of those crunchy snacks you keep nibbling and nibbling on.  I love that you don't need to refrigerate these pralines once they're done.  I always find it a little tricky gifting things that need to be refrigerated to friends and neighbors.

I made a batch of these chocolate covered almond pralines, packed most of it up as little gifts to go with our Christmas card, and kept a small handful for ourselves to munch on.  I kept them in a tight tin at room temperature and they should stay in good condition (i.e., the way they were when they were first made) for a couple of weeks. That dusting of cocoa makes them a bit more fuss-free and rustic somehow, which I really like.

I'm whipping up a second batch of these later this week for more gifts.  They're fun to make and to share for the holidays!


To make these almond pralines, start with 2 1/2 cups of toasted almonds. Given it's the busy holiday season, I took a shortcut and bought toasted, unsalted almonds for this recipe.  If you have a little more time, you could take the additional step of buying raw almonds and toasting them yourself.

The good thing about making these types of pralines is you don't have to worry about crystallization. You're actually after that crusty sugar coating on the nuts.  I think the trickiest part is heating the sugar and testing the temperature to get it right - in this case, 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.  I found that on medium-heat, it took something like 6-8 minutes, longer than the recipe indicated.  Since you're working with a small amount of liquid in the pan in cases like this, I find I have to tilt the pan to get a temperature reading.  

Once the sugar mixture hits the right temperature, just drop your almonds in and stir around to coat until it looks like the picture above.

You know my favorite part of this project was adding the chocolate!  Toss the cooled almonds in 6 ounces of melted semisweet chocolate.  Then lay them out on a lined baking sheet and use 2 forks to separate the almonds.  Chill the nuts for about 30 minutes.

Lastly, toss the nuts in some unsweetened cocoa powder.

Unless it's hot where you are, or your house is super warm, just store the pralines in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.  

I think this will become one of my go-to things to make when it comes to edible holiday gifts.  

Enjoy!


Recipe:

Chocolate-Covered Almond Pralines
Adapted from Martha Stewart

- Makes over 2 1/2 cups - 

2 1/2 cups (13 ounces) whole almonds, toasted*
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

* To save a little time during the holidays, I buy toasted (unsalted) almonds for this recipe.  To toast the almonds yourself, place in an even layer on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven.  Toast, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 10-15 minutes.

Place sugar and water into a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 235 degrees on a candy thermometer (roughly 6-8 minutes in my case).  

Add nuts, stir thoroughly together until sugar begins to crystallize and coat the almonds, about 1 minute.  Add salt and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes until almonds are completely coated with a thin layer of sand-like sugar.  Transfer the almonds to a parchment lined baking pan and let cool for about 30 minutes.  

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (or carefully using the microwave).

Use a large slotted spoon to lift up the almonds, shake off excess sugar, and transfer to a large bowl (you could also sift the almond in a colander or sieve to remove the excess sugar).  Add melted chocolate and stir together until almonds are fully coated.  Pour nuts onto another parchment lined baking sheet.  Using 2 forks, separate clusters into individual nuts.  Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Lastly, toss pralines with cocoa powder in a large bowl.  Transfer to an airtight container or to gift bags/boxes, tapping out excess cocoa powder.  These pralines can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.  Refrigerate the pralines if your house is super warm (above 75 degrees).