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This Almond Joy Recipe is a family favorite! They are so delicious and easy to make! My husband likes these better than the actual candy bar.
Featured with this Recipe
Homemade Almond Joys
If you are a fan of Almond Joy candy bars, you are about to get a real treat! These Homemade Almond Joys are so incredibly addicting! With creamy chocolate, sweet coconut, and crunchy almonds, this is by far my favorite homemade chocolate, and also one of my favorite candy bars. The coconut filling is spot-on with the real thing. You could easily use the same filling to make a mounds bar – just use dark instead of milk chocolate and leave out the almond. Voila!
Ingredients in Almond Joy Chocolates
- light corn syrup (such as Karo)
- kosher salt
- large marshmallows – exactly 10 or the consistency is off
- shredded coconut (not flakes) (it’s better if you chop it more finely in a food processor)
- vanilla extract
- roasted almonds
- Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
Making Almond Joys At Home
Has anyone noticed how much candy bars have gone up in price lately!? I remember being able to get candy bars for a quarter; and it wasn’t that long ago (cue the age jokes)! These are a great alternative to buying them at the store, and you get a lot for your buck. Not to mention this is a delicious and easy no-bake, gluten-free, dairy-free recipe that everyone (including picky kids) will love!
Melting The Chocolate
We suggest melting your chocolate slowly using the “double boiler” method (see in the instructions below). If you are in a hurry and would like to use the microwave, simply put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 20 second intervals (stirring between each interval) until melted.
Dipping Tips and Tricks
- If you are making “bar” shapes, allow the formed bars to cool completely in the refrigerator or freezer before dipping. The chocolate will stick to it better and the bar will keep its shape.
- If the chocolate seems too thin after you have melted it, add a TINY bit of oil (¼ teaspoon at a time) and continue melting. You can use coconut oil, canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Our favorite dipping trick is to use a plastic fork. Break off the middle two prongs in the fork and you have the perfect dipper. Because there is less surface area when using a fork, more chocolate will stay on the bars and the excess chocolate will shake off easier (see picture below)
- Place chocolate on a lined baking sheet or tray to cool.
- Let the chocolate set up at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
When making homemade Almond Joys, I suggest using a good melting chocolate. This can really be anything you have on hand from semi-sweet chocolate to dark chocolate. Milk chocolate doesn’t set as good and we wouldn’t recommend it when making candy bars. Chocolate chips, chocolate melts, or even bar chocolate (such as Hersheys) work great for melting.
Nope – in this recipe, we use corn syrup.
For storage, keep them in an airtight container. They can be left at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
The British version is called “Bounty.” It comes in milk chocolate and dark chocolate varieties, but does not contain almonds. It is similar to a Mounds candy bars.
More Chocolate Candy Recipes
If chocolate candy isn’t the definition of sweet, indulgent deliciousness, I don’t know what is! Satisfy your sweet tooth with these other chocolate candy dishes:
Chocolate Truffles
Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Hershy Kiss Pretzels
Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
Turtle Chocolate Candy
Christmas Crack Candy
How to Make a Homemade Almond Joy
Almond Joy Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 large marshmallows
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (12-ounce) bag Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips
- roasted almonds to press in the top (about 12)
Instructions
- Either cover a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper or use a marble slab. Place your prepared tray in the fridge to chill while you prepare Almond Joys.
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, combine corn syrup, salt, and marshmallows.
- Stir until the marshmallows are melted, then continue to stir for an additional minute. Remove from stove.
- Add coconut and vanilla. Stir well and transfer to a bowl. Chill in the fridge for 40 minutes. The mixture needs to get cool enough that it can be rolled into balls.
- In the meantime, close to when you're ready to make the balls, melt the chocolate chips. You can do this in the microwave or in a double boiler. To use a double boiler, boil water in a pot, then rest a metal bowl over the top. Place the chocolate chips in the metal bowl. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. To melt in the microwave, microwave the chocolate in 10-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
- Pull out the chilled tray and coconut mixture. Roll the coconut mixture into small balls or ovals.
- Press an almond into the top of each coconut mound.
- Dip each one in chocolate, then let cool on the chilled tray.
Notes
- The ingredients have to be precise. If you don’t use exactly 10 large marshmallows, the consistency is off. Also, make sure you’re using shredded coconut, not flakes. The shredded coconut is even better if you chop it more finely in a food processor. And for the chocolate chips, the Ghirardelli brand is worth the extra money.
- To turn these into homemade Mounds, omit the almonds and use dark chocolate chips in place of the semisweet ones.
How do you roast your almonds?
We usually just buy roasted almonds!
flavor was great, but very messy to make. the coconut mixture was cool enough to roll but when I put one in the chocolate it started to fall apart, so I spooned the chocolate on top, refrigerated until chocolate was hard, flipped them over and added more chocolate and refrigerated until hard. I followed instructions as written. I do agree they taste better then the real thing. I will be making these again and again.
didn’t realize my first message posted. thanks for the suggestion.
flavor was great, but very messy to make. the coconut mixture was cool enough to roll but when I put one in the chocolate it started to fall apart, so I spooned the chocolate on top, refrigerated until chocolate was hard, flipped them over and added more chocolate and refrigerated until hard. I followed instructions as written. I do agree they taste better then the real thing. I will be making these again and again. any suggestions would be helpful?
Maybe try chopping the coconut finer? If the flakes are too large they can fall apart easier. You want more surface area for the liquid to stick to.
made again and they came out great. I think the first time I made I did not let the filling get cold enough, although they were still great…..but even better this time. these are a keeper. if I can rate them more then 5 stars I would.
In your instructions in #1: You say to salt until the marshmallows are melted. Now, I am a salt lover, but in this case, I believe you meant to stir until the marshmallows are melted. Easy typo to make😊
Thank you for your recipes.
Thanks for that catch! All fixed!
How many candies does this recipe make?
It makes approximately 24 candies. Thank you for asking!
I love that I can make my favorite candy at home. Delicious!
Love the real thing, but also love these so much! Taste so similar, I absolutely love them!
I put my regular bagged coconut in a chopper/grinder . Much easier to work with and they were great
Oh Lordy! What a shock to see that they do NOT contain condensed milk! I was sure when I saw them, and immediately began to salivate, that I couldn’t make them (well, EAT them) because they had condensed milk, my ultimate sin, but now that that’s been removed from my worry list, plug your ears so the flying pots and pans don’t disturb you! Oh, what “joy”…
Is this sweetened or unsweetened coconut?
Sweetened!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but my coconut mixture came out watery. It’s probably because I used frozen coconut? Still tasted amazing!
I think the frozen coconut probably added the extra moisture. I would use un-frozen next time!
Such a delicious candy! Love the flavors of coconut and chocolate together! These are perfect!
These look like the perfect way to satisfy my sweet tooth. Love it!
This looks amazing! I must try them soon!
Delicious! My family loved these!
Dude. Now I can eat Almond Joys all the time! What a fun recipe!
I made these tonight but I think I put in too many marshmallows. I doubled the recipe so i put in 10 large marshmallows. It is so sticky and hard that I can’t do anything with it. Help 😫 what do you suggest??
The recipe calls for 10 large marshmallows, so if you put in only 10 when you doubled it, that might be what caused the hardness and stickiness. It should have been 20 large marshmallows. Hope this helps!
I’m so excited to try these this weekend. Almond Joys are my faaaaavorite!
Let us know what you think! 😀
how many ounces of chocolate chips? I always purchase a large bag at sam’s club.
It’s a 1 lb bag (16 oz)
Can i use the frozen coconut for the recipe?It is shredded really fine.
I haven’t tried frozen coconut, I usually do shredded.
Im going to try this my daughter wants to make something for her try this would be perfect
They are yummy! You and your daughter will love them!
These look so yummy!! I can’t wait to try them! I’m putting together a list of things to make as Christmas gifts on my blog and was wondering if you’d be okay with me including a picture with a link to your article. Thanks!
Yes, of course! Thank you so much for asking!
Just “found” your blog and I’m loving it! Really appreciate this recipe as I’m always disappointed when that one almond is gone! Now I can add however many I want!
I liked Lindsay’s comments about chopping and adding them to the coconut mixture too.
I found putting candy in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or over night helps when dipping. If you add a little Crisco shorting to the melted chocolate it helps the chocolate to stick and coat better. I use chopsticks to roll and remove candy and place them on Parchment paper on cookie sheets then back to the refrigerator to set. I put them in a plastic wear container and keep them in the refrigerator. Hope this helps. Can’t wait to make these.
Hi I’m in Australia. We can buy dessicated or shredded coconut in packets at the supermarket. Which one would be required for this recipe. I’m dying to make it!
Go with the shredded…. 🙂
Hello, I’m happy to found this recipe because I love almond joy, but unfortunately it’s not available here in the Philippines. I’m excited to try this! But I’m confused what coconut did you use, is it “fresh shredded coconut” or the ones “packed sweetened coconut in supermarkets”? 🙂
We used the packed sweetened but I am sure fresh would still be awesome!
Erica, thanks for this recipe! I always thought the milk chocolate was too sweet, so I used half Ghiradelli milk chocolate and half Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips and they came out PERFECT! Thanks again for making my (and my co-workers!) Valentine’s Day a bit sweeter <3
For a great dipping tool, I use a plastic fork and break out the two middle tines, it works great.
I want to try these but I am confused on what type of coconut to use. Is it the shredded coconut?
yes, shredded coconut
for the person in austrailia 10 marshmallows weigh 66 grams
How do you roast your almonds?
I substituted 1cup mini marshmallows for 10 regular and it worked
fine.
How much does 10 marshmallows weigh? I can’t get them where I live so I have to make them from scratch.
Thanks!
Lauren
I’m not sure, try looking up how many ounces are in a bag and divide that by the number of marshmallows in a bag.
Then times that by 10.
66 grams of marshmallow is equal to 10 large marshmallows. Hope this helps!
I made these last night. They were delicious but so sticky! What would you suggest for the next time?
I have to freeze the coconut filling, you could try tossing each ball in a little powdered sugar.
I made these last night and they turned out great! They taste even better after chilling them overnight! I did have trouble rolling the balls in chocolate, the chocolate coating wasnt as smooth as I wanted, any suggestions to make this easier?
I usually just use melted chocolate chips and use a fork or spoon to roll it around. You don’t want to get the chocolate too hot or it gets grainy.
Hi Therese, I’ve not seen either “normal” or miniature marshmallows here. They’re more like a “mound” of marshmallow, somewhere inbetween lol.
Sherry: I think she means “normal” marshmallows, the kind you toast over the campfire. Not miniature marshmallows, that is.
You could form the coconut around an almond or half an almond before you roll the center in the chocolate and put another almond on top.
I have coconut sitting in my freezer. I think I have to make these.
10 Large marshmallows – I’ve moved to Australia and don’t think I’ve ever seen “large marshmallows” as I know them in the states. Could someone weigh 10 large marshmallows with a food scale and post here please?
My boyfriend and I made this and they were SOOO sticky! But the mixture is coming out good, thank you very much for teaching us a new snack! 😀
How did you make them less sticky?? Mine is so sticky I can’t do anything with it.
Mine was to I threw them in the trash how do you make them less sticky
did u use jumbo marshmellows OR just the big marshmellows?
which marshmallow did you use? The reg.or jumbo?
Use the regular size marshmallows – not jumbo and not mini. Thank you for asking!
I am wondeing what type of coconut is used, sweetened or unsweetened?
I used sweetened.
@Cathy- I am not sure what Candiquik is… I am sure if you have used it for chocolate coating on other things it would be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Just wondering if it would work to dip them in chocolate Candiquik instead of chocolate chips?
I'll make the mounds…family favorites! Thank you, great recipes!
Thanks so much! I'll be trying these soon!
@Suzi- I make the chocolate the way it describes in the post and I use a spoon to roll the coconut pieces around and then spoon them out onto the wax paper. I hope that helps!
These look great! Just wondering, what is the best method for dipping them in the chocolate without making an ugly mess? Thanks!
Slotted spoon works good for me
try using a tooth pick, freezing them ,they hold together better
Thank you for the tip!
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I am whipping up a batch right now. My kids are going to be a smilin'. Thanks for sharing!
my teenage daughter made these, they were scrumptious!
Your blog is seriously amazing!!!! I am going to send your link out to several of my friends! I can't wait to try out your recipes! I was looking up favorite recipes and your blog came up. I went through several and yours by FAR is my favorite!!! Please keep adding!!!!!!
I just made these last night. Love them I like a lot of almond, so I chopped them up and added them to the coconut mixture. Turned out perfect.
We are an entire flaimy trying to be gluten, sugar & soy free for many reasons. We thought we would never be able to have cookies again, then I stumbled on this site. My kids and I just made these this morning. They are amazing!! Next time we will try with Stevia.
@Lindsay- I actually did the same thing last time I made them, it was so good that way! 🙂
This sounds rather delicious and pretty simple too. I'm excited to try making these at home. Thanks for sharing!
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@Ashleigh- Wow THANK YOU for the nice compliment!!!! I am so happy to hear you have liked our recipes! Thanks for spreading the word about us. Come back often!
I heat veg wax and add to my chocolate it make a softer chocolate dip for my candy and I pre freeze my candy Easier to dip and quick dry I make all kinds of candy. I did 12 different ones last year as gifts. I also fo strawberries with differant coatings and nuts
Yum! Thanks a TON 🙂
hello delicious
YUM! I am definitely going to try this! I love your blog!
This is perfect! I've always had an 'issue' with both candy bars because I prefer them without the almond and I don't like dark chocolate! Now I can have it my way! Thanks!
2 cups coconut BEFORE you chop it more finely. Good question! 🙂
This looks great! Thank you. One clarification- the 2 c. of coconut is that before you chop it fine or after, or does it matter?