Salted Keto Almond Joys

After a long day on my feet and an hour and a half commute home through the massive onslaught of LA traffic, all I want is a satisfying mouthful of Almond Joys. I had an intrusive thought, “Why don’t I just make some?” So I did and enjoyed almost all of them to myself. I invite you to partake in these easy-to-make, delightful bundles of joy. Store them in the fridge for up to two weeks and enjoy them as an occasional afternoon or evening treat. But be careful, you might also be tempted to eat way too many in one sitting. Bon appétit!

Makes about 20 balls

 Printable Version

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup raw coconut shavings

1 cup Medjool dates, chopped

1/2 cup almond butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp orange juice

1 Tbsp almond milk (or alternative)

1 cup melted dark chocolate

1 cup toasted coconut shavings

1 pinch Maldon salt

Directions:

1. Using a food processor, add the three-quarters cup raw almonds to your processor and pulse several times till the almonds are fairly fine, almost resembling sand with just a few chunks left. Add the raw coconut and continue to pulse several times. Add the remaining dates, almond butter, vanilla extract, orange juice, and almond milk to the processor and pulse till the mixture forms a coherent dough-like You may need just a drop more of milk to get your “dough” to fully combine. Line a small baking sheet, shape the “dough” into about twenty one-inch balls and place them onto the lined sheet. Refrigerate the balls for one hour (or if in a time crunch place them in the freezer for fifteen to twenty minutes).
2. Meanwhile, toast your coconut shavings till lightly toasted over medium-low heat for about three minutes, tossing frequently so that they brown evenly and do not burn. If you are not using finely shaved coconut, pulse them several times in the food processor and set aside in a shallow bowl. Add a pinch of Maldon salt to the coconut and mix to combine.
3. Once the balls have hardened in the fridge (or freezer), melt your chocolate in the microwave for sixty to ninety seconds, but mixing after each thirty second increment. Be sure to mix your chocolate frequently. This will ensure it does not burn and become bitter. Anyone who has burnt their chocolate in the microwave knows exactly what I’m talking about. (I learned this the hard way at a young age while attempting to make chocolate cheesecake for the first time.) If you’re afraid of using the microwave method, heat a double boiler (bain-marie) and melt your chocolate slowly over the boiling water. This will ensure an even and delicate process, but be sure to still mix the chocolate as it melts all the same.
4. Working one at a time, roll each almond ball into the melted chocolate. Using a fork remove the ball from the chocolate and then toss it in the coconut shavings so that its fully coated with Return the almond joy to the lined baking sheet and repeat this coating process with the remaining almonds joys. Once finished, return the sheet to the fridge for at least thirty minutes. Enjoy or store in an air-tight container.