A simple recipe for Vegan Almond Joys made with just 5 ingredients and naturally sweetened coconut filling.
Jesse and I realized the other day that we haven’t had a weekend at home in Burlington in over a month…we’re pushing two months I think at this point actually. It’s not only put us behind on grown up things like laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping, but we also realized we haven’t done a lot of the fun summer things Burlington has to offer. For example, we haven’t actually been swimming in Lake Champlain yet this summer, or just walked around down town and enjoy the city we just moved to. Initially, we felt like we were missing out on the the most beautiful time of year in Burlington…but we were having so much fun doing out of town things on the weekend! We felt a little guilty.
So we’re making a concerted effort to get out more after work and enjoy our beautiful city during the week. It’s easy to get into the post-work crash on the couch mode – but so much can be enjoyed in those post-work pre-bedtime hours during the week! So we’re walking to our favorite breweries after work, taking the pups to the lakeside dog park and catching as many sunsets over the lake as possible.
So what have we been up to on weekends? Mostly a whole lot of floating around on the river by the cabin. And I am A-OKAY with that. I also found a gorgeous run route by the cabin that I’ve been enjoying. Last weekend, we had a bunch of friends up to the cabin, and of course I had to make some tasty treats. These Vegan Almond Joys to be exact. Although, ironically, we were so busy floating and watching The World Cup game in town (no WiFi or cable at the cabin!) that we didn’t remember to eat them…sooo I have a fridge FULL of Vegan Almond Joys. I am a lucky girl indeed.
Confession time – there is another Almond Joy recipe on this blog. It is also delicious. But it also has a lot of ingredient I don’t usually keep in my kitchen (coconut cream, brown rice syrup…) and I wasn’t completely happy with the fact it wasn’t naturally sweetened. So if you’re looking for a sweeter variation of almond joys, head right over here. BUT if you’re into simple ingredients and more naturally sweetened desserts, please proceed.(it’s worth noting here that clearly the chocolate has sugar in it, when I refer to “naturally sweetened”, I mean the inner coconut filling)
-loody!
Vegan Almond Joys
what you’ll need:
1 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3.2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
optional: whole almonds
makers notes:
I use a square 1 inch ice cube tray to make my Vegan Almond Joys, which I find make the perfect, pop-able size. I couldn’t find the exact ones I have, but these ice trays are very similar and come in a 3 pack!
These are Mounds technically (dark chocolate + no almonds = mounds, milk chocolate + almonds = almond joys), buuuuut I feel like these combine the best of both worlds (dark chocolate + almond extract + optional almonds = DELICIOUS). If you feel like it, I recommend tucking an almond in the middle of the coconut square, so when you bite in, SURPRISE ALMOND! Or you can plop one right on top, like a traditional almond joy.
My go-to baking chocolate is 65-70% dark chocolate from Chocolove. The 3.2 ounces used in this recipe is equal to 1 Chocolove bar. Obviously, chocolate has sugar in it, so when I say these are naturally sweetened, I’m referring to the inner coconut filling of the Almond Joys.
How to whip it up:
In a medium sized bowl, combine shredded coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup and almond extract. You should have a sticky, not drippy wet, consistency. Firmly press coconut mixture into flexible ice cube tray. Smooth the tops with a knife. Place in freezer for 15 minutes.
To make chocolate coating, melt coconut oil and chocolate together in a small, deep bowl. I use the microwave and stir method. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir until melted. Chocolate may require an additional 15 seconds of heating after stirring depending on how large your chunks were.
Once coconut squares are done chilling, remove from molds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using a fork, dip each coconut square in a layer of chocolate, tap fork on side of bowl before placing coconut squares back on the baking sheet. Chill again in freezer for 1-2 minutes. Once chocolate is set, remove from freezer and dip coconut squares in a second layer of chocolate. Let chill again 1-2 minutes. Enjoy!
Yields 18 one inch Vegan Almond Joys. Keep chilled in airtight container up to 2 weeks.
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