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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.
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!