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If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s (man, how I miss it), then you know how it feels to get stuck in their candy aisle staring at all the chocolatey treats. I literally start to salivate when I think of their Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels, Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans or Peanut Butter Cups. But, I’m not sure anything beats the Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds. They are addicting! The almonds are roasted to perfection so they have a nice crunch, and the combination of bittersweet dark chocolate with sea salt is really just the best pairing ever. Am I right!?
So, what do you do when you are thousands of miles away from the closest Trader Joe’s? You make your own sweet and salty chocolate covered almonds, of course. And that’s just what I did.
With only five ingredients, this recipe is about as easy as it gets. Too easy maybe, because I found myself popping way too many of these into my mouth as I stirred them into the melted chocolate, then as I added the sea salt, and then again when I put the final touch of cocoa powder on them. I had to test them to make sure they were good enough to share with you, after all. Now, I have them hidden in the fridge so they won’t melt in this blistering Mexican heat and so I don’t eat them all in one sitting.
I’m going to guess you probably have all these ingredients in your house right now, so what are you waiting for? Save yourself a trip to TJ’s, make yourself feel better for not having a TJ’s nearby, or quell your homesickness by making this super simple and perfect sweet treat.
What’s your favorite chocolate treat from Trader Joe’s?
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 2 cups dry roasted almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar in the raw/turbinado sugar
- 3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- Add chocolate chips to a double boiler and stir until melted completely.
- Remove from heat and add almonds, stirring until they are coated completely.
- Sprinkle sea salt over almonds and toss to incorporate. Add sugar and toss again.
- Spread onto a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to set.
- Remove from the fridge and add to a large bowl. Sprinkle with cocoa powder and toss to coat completely.
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These look so amazing – and I am so far from a a Trader Joe’s that this is perfect!
These were made for you then, Laura!
I’m going to pretend I didn’t see these….believe it or not I am actually happy there isn’t a TJs in Toronto because these things are like crack and I cannot control myself around them. Whenever I’m in the States I allow myself one box (which never makes it past the plane ride…). Your recipe does not exist. It’s impossible to make them at home. gahhhhhh why did you do this to me?!?!
haha I actually thought of you as I was making them because I remembered you talking about Trader Joe’s once. These were made for you- your name is all over them! Do it!
YUM! No TJ’s here in Australia either so I am a lllll over these. Thanks Katie đ
Glad to hear it, Emma! I’ve almost eaten all of these since I made them.
Ah, these look AMAZING and so easy! Definitely going to try these. Thanks so much for sharing!
Oh wow these look so so good! I love TJ but have never had these. Definitely want to make these. Pinned. đ
Whether you make these or buy them from TJs, you HAVE to have these in your life. Thanks for stopping by, Tina!
Do these taste pretty much the same as the TJ almonds? Thank you for sharing đ
Yes the do! You’re going to love them, Jessie.
Out of curiosity, what’s the life like on these? Because I’ve always found that once I’ve melted down and frozen chocolate to use as a coating, it doesn’t want to stay solid for very long at room temperature.
I kept mine in the fridge, partly because I wanted them to cool faster at the beginning so I could try them and partly because I was living in Mexico when I made them so I was afraid they would melt. I think it would be fine at room temperature in a cooler place though once the chocolate has hardened again.
Just made them today, and they were so tasty! I added 1/2 cup more chocolate chips to better replicate the chocolate to almond ratio that TJ’s has, but other than that kept the recipe the same. My family can’t stop snacking on them!
I don’t think you can ever go wrong with more chocolate! So glad you like them, Heather.
I am going to do this. I roast my own (uncoated) almonds all the time, but I have one question. I dip my almonds in a bath of saltwater and then bake on a tray. I go low and slow to get all the moisture out to avoid burning and end up with a nut that is as salty as i want and crunchy. However, sometimes, if i don’t check enough, i will get almonds that are done but cooked too fast and not perfectly crunchy, i.e. there is some moisture left so even when cooled in the right container they are not super crunchy, this has happened a few times.
Since you’Re dipping the almonds in a bath of thick warm liquid, in my mind there is a high risk of the almond becoming soggy or non crunchy due to the coating. The chocolate almonds i buy don’t seem to suffer from this problem however,
i don’t know what their secret is, but is this a problem you have solved with yours? Does the moisture bath on the outside of the almond due to the chocolate affect its crunchyness? I am guessing yes because when i put whole almonds into a salad the dressing and moisture makes the outside soft and soggy…
Hi There- this is a great question and I wish I could try your salty roasted almonds. When I have made this recipe, the nuts have stayed crunchy without any problem. I also eat them pretty quickly because they are so addicting so that might have something to do with ti đ I hope you give it a try and let me know how it goes!
perfect. I was going to order some, but i’ll go ahead, i’m not really big on the salt factor either so this way i can put some or none. I guess i’m wondering how to get the coating thick enough without it becoming bark and clumped together? I can see on your picture the coating is very thin, much thinner than the store variety. Will have to experiment. I’m thinking let it half set and then do another coating round, maybe a couple of times to get the choc layer thicker? have you done that?