Cocoa roasted almonds are so easy to make at home! And with simple ingredients like honey and cocoa powder, they're much healthier than the store bought kind.
Nothing says Christmas to me like time in the kitchen, Christmas jams blaring, and a Christmas tree twinkling away in the background. From the outside looking in, this holiday might look a little ridiculous to those in other parts of the world that don't have this tradition, but to me it brings up the best memories.
This season can bring on a bought of nostalgia like nothing other. Pentatonix new holiday album has me feelin all the feels and this year I'm feelin it strong baby! Their version of Mary Did you Know sends chills down my spine its so good.
So, Christmas started early in our house. We busted out the Christmas tree promptly the day after Thanksgiving. Do you ever stop to think how weird it is that we bring a tree into our house for a month out of the year? Seriously though! How did this tradition ever get started. 😂
I even convinced the hubby to buy a fake tree this year so we wouldn't have to cut down a live one. I've got an evergreen essential oil steaming away and it looks so real you'd never even know.
In exchange, I had to throw away 23 dishes since (he thinks) my kitchen collection has grown out of control. He originally shot for 50 but I haggled him down to a cool 23 mismatched silverware and cups without lids count. Feelin prettty good about my negotiating skills right about now... little does he know that I've already replaced several of the disposed of dishes with new items...Muhahaha... 😉
Sooo, what does all this have to do with cocoa roasted almonds? Frankly, you can make these any time of year, but I just love making them for the holidays. Its cold out and bikini season is ages away so snacking on sweets is of upmost priority.
I know I'm not alone in this so don't raise your eyebrows and pretend you don't know what I mean.
Yeah, just as I suspected, you're a holiday snacker too. Embrace it. No shame in our game... just lots of snacks. Like lots and lots.
I'm not one to go a season without a few christmas cookies, but I like to keep some heathy (but still festive) snacks on hand too. These cocoa roasted almonds are perfect for that. Sweet, chocolatey, nutty, with a tinge of salt. These nuts are my world this time of year.
They're so incredibly easy to make too! All you need is about 15 minutes and four ingredients. I based this recipe on one I found on Amy's Healthy Baking, but tweaked it since I'm not a huge stevia fan and love getting a mouthful of sweet and salty at the same time. After four or five recipe attempts, I got this one just right. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out.
Have you ever tried the store bought cocoa roasted almonds? My sister got me hooked on these yeeeears ago. But, like most off the shelf items, they're full of crap that your body doesn't need.
In my version we do away with all that junk. My cocoa roasted almonds cast of characters is pictured below. Wholesome, naturally vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and all that jazz. They taste pretty much the same though, if not better.
From now on, cocoa roasted almonds will be on permanent rotation in my ever evolving snack repertoire, regardless of the season. Make them once, and I'm sure you'll be saying the same. Last year I made a spicy candied pecan recipe that was out of this world.
Between these two nut recipes, my nut game is strong folks, and yours can be too! Pretty sure that pecan recipe has more nut jokes than a junior high locker room, so I'll leave it at that and spare you this time around.
Much to my husbands chagrin, my sense of humor never made it past puberty. Every time he rolls his eyes over one my my (debatably funny) immature jokes, I feel the need to remind him that he knew this before he married me. Jokes on you mister.
If this doesn't leave you craving nuts, I don't know what will. And if nuts aren't your jam, I have plenty of recipes for balls too. Take your pick. Pecan pie balls are one of my favs.
And I'm out. xoxo
Cocoa Roasted Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. honey (or agave syrup if vegan)
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C).
- Spread almonds out evenly on a baking tray and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and shake pan lightly to make sure they get roasted evenly. Put pan back in oven and roast for 5-6 more minutes.
- Remove from oven and let almonds cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes. Place almonds into a medium sized bowl and toss with honey.
- Add cocoa powder and sea salt to almonds and toss to coat evenly.
- Dump the almonds back out onto the baking sheet and spread out to cool (this prevents them from sticking together or having plain spots without cocoa powder).
- Once fully cool, store in an airtight container or jar for up to a week.
Nutrition
I love dark chocolate dusted almonds. I love dark chocolate no matter what, but these weren’t quite sweet enough for me and I think it’s because they had too much salt. Next time I will try cutting the salt in half.
Love it. This is a simple, healthy option for just a sweet “fix.” I have made it four times now and passed along the recipe to a friend.
That's exactly why I like this one too. 🙂
This was exactly what I was looking for! Thank you !
Happy to hear you liked them! 🙂
Bland & boring. No taste of honey or chocolate. We followed the directions precisely, & used quality ingredients. I would leave negative stars if that was an option.
Sorry to hear they did not turn out well for you Deborah!
Do you use natural cocoa (like Hershey's) or dutch processed (like Droste)?
I would think any unsweetened cocoa powder would work! 🙂
Can I make these if the almonds are already roasted? I’m dying to try the recipe but don’t have raw almonds.
You know, I haven't done it but don't see why you couldn't. I would think that would be a huge time saver and would mean you could skip all those roasting steps and just toss those almonds in the honey and other goodies. If you try it, please let the rest of us know how it turns out! I'm all about the short cuts these days.
You provide a link to "pecan pie balls" within the body of this post, but when I follow the link, it takes me instead to a recipe for protein energy balls. I have also searched on your blog site but cannot find the other recipe. I would love to check it out!
It looks like I just called it the wrong name in my link because in my mind that protein energy ball recipe tastes like pecan pie. Now I'm obsessing over creating a pecan pie ball recipe though so you may see another one pop up soon for that! I'll update you if/when I do. 🙂
Hi. I love the taste, however I ended up with the almonds being very sticky because the cocoa just sort of melted instead of dry. They are shiny almost like chocolate. Is the a secret when adding the cocoa to the almonds. Thanks.
Hmm... do you let the hot almonds cool for a few minutes before you toss with cocoa powder? That usually does the trick for me.
Thanks Christy, worked a treat, but instead I put them back onto the tray and sprinkled the cocoa and salt over them and kept lightly stirring them until they were dusted. . Thank you.
Good idea, I'll have to try that one of these days!
Hi! Love the look of this recipe and I just bought some almonds to try it!
Just, one thing about your description, you mention they are "naturally vegan," but since there is honey in the recipe, they can't be vegan. Replacing the honey with agave would make them vegan though.
I made these yesterday, started snacking on them today, AND COULDN'T STOP!! They're amazing and delicious. I could justify my obsession because of the healthy ingredients!
Glad you liked them! Can't wait to do some baking with you soon. 😉