Dark Cocoa Almonds

Ok, so the last few posts have been sweets - which is so unlike me, well, the old me. I think I have previously stated how before Mr. Hungry Harp and I were together, I was a salt queen. No need for sugar here, just some french fries could do the trick. But I have since changed and love all things sweet. (Sidenote: I love the word sweet. SWEET!!)

I found these sweet (sorry, that will be the last time I use that word...) little treats while perusing my cookbook collection. Being 17 weeks pregnant with twins has already got me sitting down a bit more and I take the wonderful time to read, usually cookbooks... (although I did find an AWESOMESAUCE book on having twins: Ready or Not, Here We Come! by Elizabeth Lyons - I recommend it to anyone having twins.) This recipe was found in my copy of Slim & Scrumptious by Joy Bauer. I am infamous for owning cookbooks that I never cook from - this one being no exception. This was a good recipe to start with since it came out great - according to all the Hungry Harps!

These Dark Cocoa Almonds are not like milk chocolate covered almonds or cocoa-dusted almonds. They are like something I had never had before, but are wonderful nonetheless. Not to mention incredibly easy - even for a pregnant momma with two toddlers running around the house. :)

Just whip up some egg white and vanilla extract until frothy...

Soak almonds in mixture...

Mix together sugar, cocoa and salt...

COMPLETELY coat almonds with cocoa mixture...

Bake almonds for a total of 40 minutes, flipping once...

Let cool and enjoy!!

Dark Cocoa Almonds - PRINTABLE RECIPE
adapted from Slim & Scrumptious 2010
Ingredients
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups unsalted almonds
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Heat oven to 275.
2. Whisk together egg white and vanilla extract until frothy. Add almonds, ensuring all almonds get completely coated with egg white mixture.
3. Mix together sugar, cocoa and salt.
4. Combine almonds and cocoa mixture, completely coating almonds until no dry powder is left.
5. In a single layer, place almonds on greased baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven and slip almonds over. A spatula works great for this!
6. Let cool completely and enjoy! Some pieces may need to be broken apart by hand.