Homemade Almond Joy Bars

By Kevin Williams

Wow,these are good.  I'm not a huge fan of almonds.  They just are  a dry, big, crunchy nut that doesn't, to me, pack a ton of flavor. In fact, I'd rather have a Mounds Bar and just enjoy coconut and chocolate.  Still, these homemade Almond Joy bars are REALLY good. This Amish bakery obviously doesn't mind poaching the trademarked name "Almond Joy."

I love the homemade, hand-made label on these candies.

Wow, these candies are good......I kind of ignore the almond and just enjoy the rest, but the crunchy almond adds a nice touch....

I found this bagged candy at a farm store near me and was charmed by the handwritten label, I mean, that is quintessential Amish.  It really would be a time-consuming and tedious task to handwrite hundreds of labels, but it definitely gives the goods an authentic feel.

Homemade Almond Joy candy recipes are found in many Amish cookbooks and they all follow the same basic formulation.   All you need is some coconut, corn syrup, and a few other ingredients (like almonds!) and you are there.  A lot of my notes say that these homemade candies keep up to a week, but that batch I bought are now about 3 weeks old and they still taste amazing (I'm trying to show restraint).

Homemade Almond Joy Bars

 

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Ingredients

• 7 fluid ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2¼ cups confectioners' sugar
• 14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• ½ cup whole almonds, toasted
• 16 ounces milk chocolate or coating chocolate

Instructions

1. Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with foil and coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl.
3. Add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time and stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
4. Add coconut and stir until combined.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and press it into an even layer. Then press the almonds into the mixture in even rows. Chill candy in refrigerator until firm, about 1 hour.
6. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the candy into small rectangles.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
8. Melt and temper the chocolate, or simply melt the coating chocolate.
9. Dip the bars into the chocolate, covering completely, and place them on the prepared sheet.
10. Refrigerate candy for 30 minutes or until the chocolate has set.

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