Every year in winter, I make chocolates. It all goes back to a “how to make chocolates”-workshop which I attented by the end of my schooldays – it was a birthday present from friends of my parents. At the workshop, people learned how to make fancy chocolates with different fillings, and afterwards you could take the chocolates you made home with you. In that year, the chocolates made beautiful Christmas presents for my family.
When I moved out of home to start studies, I used to live in very small apartments most of the time, and did not have an oven for baking. This meant I could not bake Christmas cookies. However, the chocolates came to my mind again, and since then, it has become a ritual to make chocolates which only afford very little equipment and are easy to make – at least the ones I make, but of course you can dive into elaborate chocolate production, if you like that.
Nowadays, I still make chocolates, and this year’s chocolate production was opened with these roasted almond and walnut chocolates. I used dark chocolate so they are vegan, but you can also use milk or white chocolate, or other kinds of nuts. Instead of whole nuts, also chopped or sliced nuts, coconut flakes, dried cranberries, or corn flakes work well. Just try around. 
ROASTED NUT CHOCOLATES
about 30 to 40 chocolates – vegan / gluten-free
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) whole nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
- 150 g (5 oz) dark chocolate
Directions
Pour some water into a pan and heat it up. Break the chocolate into pieces and put them into a bowl, then carefully place the bowl in the pan to let it melt. Be careful that the chocolate does not get into contact with the water, otherwise it will not dry so well.
In a second pan, roast the nuts without added oil. Stir constantly to prevent them from burning. The nuts are ready when they are slightly browned and fragrant.
Mix the roasted nuts with the melted chocolate. Stir until all nuts are evenly coated with chocolate.
Line a baking sheet or a large chopping board with paper. Use two teaspoons to make small heaps of chocolate and nuts until the mass is used up.
Leave the chocolates to dry. In winter, I like to put them outside on the balcony where they cool down very quickly. Finally, pluck the chocolates from the paper and enjoy. Store leftover chocolates in an airtight container in the fridge.
Here are some more combinations to try:
- white chocolate and cranberries
- white chocolate and coconut flakes
- white chocolate and chopped cashews
- milk chocolate and sliced almonds
- milk chocolate and peanuts
- milk chocolate and corn flakes
- dark chocolate and hazelnuts
- dark chocolate and rum raisins
Which ones would you like? Do you have any more ideas?
Filed under: All Recipes, Sweets Tagged: Almonds, Chocolate, Walnuts
