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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.
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.