Dorothy KernAlmond clusters are the perfect last minute treat to make this week! 3 ingredients and 10 minutes of time is all you need to make this easy candy recipe for the holidays! It’s a great food gift idea.
I love my daughter for lots of reasons. I mean, obviously, she’s my daughter. She’s a good kid, she thinks of others, and she’s hilarious. I kind of picture us like Rory and Lorelai, except there’s more yelling and less coffee.
(I’m willing to forgive the fact she didn’t see the appeal of Gilmore Girls. I mean, she’s 10. When we watch it again in a few years, she better well fake that she loves it.)
One of the main reasons I really love her right this minute? She wrapped all the Christmas presents – and all the stocking stuffers. All of them, except her own.
She loves wrapping presents. I hate wrapping them. It’s a great pairing, until I realize I still have to wrap all of hers.
Do you give homemade treats for Christmas? Every year, I make tons of goodies for teachers and school staff, for neighbors and friends. I dream up new recipes for each of the grandparents and wrap up tins of cookies and candy and fudge, just for them.
Yeah, that’s not happening this year. Sorry, family.
This year, I am going to spend Christmas week baking what I want to make. Snowballs and blossom cookies, sugar cookies and toffee.
But…I had to make one thing for my mom. I had to make her almond clusters because, well. I just couldn’t not make them.
The problem? Not eating all of the almond clusters before Friday.
These EASY Almond Clusters have only 3 ingredients. Sure, the sprinkles make it 4 ingredients, but they’re optional. Either way, did I mention they’re easy? The take less than 10 minutes of prep time and they taste way better than anything you’d get in the candy aisle.
I started with my favorite almonds, Blue Diamond Lightly Salted. I always have a container or six of those lying around. That, some chocolate chips, and some vegetable oil are all you need to make homemade Christmas candy. I’m not joking about how easy these are, I even made a video to prove it (see below).
Why the vegetable oil, you ask? Well, I often have trouble with melting chocolate chips, especially in winter. They get too hot or they’re old and they seize while baking. I always add a little oil or shortening to them before heating, and it helps the chocolate melt smoothly. Just make sure and follow the instructions – 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring between each.
Once it’s melted, just stir in the almonds and place the candy in mini muffin pans. I use liners for easy removal. You can even gift them in the liners if you want.
Literally 10 minutes between you and homemade almond clusters. What are you waiting for??
See? Almond clusters really are easy to make; just watch:
Easy 3 Ingredient Almond Clusters
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate chips milk, dark, semi-sweet, or a combination
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup Blue Diamond Almonds
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Line a mini muffin pan with mini muffin liners.
- Place chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a medium microwave safe bowl. Heat on high power in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth (about 1 ½ to 2 minutes). Stir in almonds.
- Scoop clusters of almonds into each mini muffin liner. Sprinkle with sprinkles, if desired. Chill until set.
- Serve or package with or without the muffin liner! Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week (longer if you chill them).
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Dark Chocolate Almond Dipped Pretzels
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. All opinions are 100% my own.
All text and images © DOROTHY KERN for Crazy for Crust. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Published on: December 20, 2015
I hate wrapping too, mostly because I’m awful at making a pretty package! I don’t know if my mom likes doing it, but at least hers are gorgeous! Other gorgeous things – these clusters! What a great treat 🙂
Dorothy – These look awesome. I’m always looking for dessert recipes that are gluten-free because some of my family and friends have Celiac. This is a perfect option. 🙂
Yes! I never thought about it being GF, but they totally are!
Hey, since there are nuts in these, does that mean that they can be consumed guilt-free?!
Yes, totally a protein snack! 🙂
My only problem with making these would be not having enough almonds. My Hubby eats them too fast! We just love nuts! These clusters are a perfect gift for the holidays!
These looks scrumptiously addictive no matter how quick they are! Great idea for last minute wonderfulness. 🙂
Yum! These look so good and easy – a quick snack!
http://purrfectlyinspired.com
These clusters are so easy, yet totally delicious 🙂
Don’t worry, Dorothy. All my HS girls love Gilmore Girls, so I think it’s just going to take a few more years. She’ll get there! We all feel the love eventually. Even though if you watch that show closely, you’ll notice that neither actress ever actually eats any of the masses of food they’re pretending to.
These wouldn’t make it to my kids’ teachers! I’d eat them all first. Nothing is more addictive than chocolate and almonds!
Love how easy these are and love those little sprinkles!! Makes me want to gobble up way too many seeing those 🙂
Only 3 ingredients? Awesome! I love that you added sprinkles too, because they make everything better. 🙂