What do you get when you combine almonds and… chocolate?!
That was one of my (many) culinary dreams last fall. 😉 With my worthy goal in mind, I fiddled and flubbed, stirred and spilled, tasted and adjusted…
This irresistible snack (ahem, eat-all-the-time food) became an instant family hit. We even decided to pack the crumbles in jars and send them across the country as Christmas gifts for the extended family.
Without further ado, I present to you: cocoa almond crumbles! I hope your family relishes this crunchy, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free delight as much as we do!
Cocoa Almond Crumbles
Ingredients
Soak
- 4 cups raw almonds
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Dehydrate
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
Soak
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About 2 days before you want to eat the crumbles, combine almonds and salt in a large bowl.
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Cover completely with pure water.
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Soak for 12 to 24 hours, then strain and rinse.
Dehydrate
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Pulse in food processor until almonds reach desired consistency.
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Place pulsed almonds in a large bowl.
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Add all additional ingredients and stir well.
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If doubling or tripling this recipe, you may have to combine in a very large bowl or stock pot.
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Place mixture on dehydrator sheets and spread to 1-inch layers, covering the sheets. Dehydrate on 115 degrees Fahrenheit for about 24 hours.
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After 24 hours, let crumbles sit in dehydrator until cooled to room temperature.
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Taste to see if they're done. They should be crunchy -- not stale or damp.
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If they aren't done, let dehydrator at 115 degrees Fahrenheit for another 2 to 3 hours.
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When finished, store cocoa almond crumbles in canning jars.
Recipe Notes
If you don't have a dehydrator, use your oven instead!
Turn oven onto lowest temperature.
Spread crumbles on a few cookie sheets and place inside.
After about 30 minutes, flip the crumbles over to ensure even cooking.
Come back 30 minutes later and check.
It may take a few hours for them to finish.
Follow above instructions for checking doneness.
Will you make these cocoa almond crumbles?
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Thank you Jenna! These crumbles are delicious! My whole family enjoyed them. We fought over the last crumbles.
Hi Joanne! Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you had a chance to try the recipe. Fun to hear of a family enjoying the Cocoa Almond Crumbles. Sorry they caused fighting, ha, ha! God bless, Jenna
These were amazing! I didn’t even share and ate the whole bag in one sitting…not sure if having the recipe is a good or bad thing! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Saundra! Thanks for sharing. I can relate. My husband and I could stand in the kitchen snacking on these, and not realize we just ate a quart of crumbles! Take care. God bless, Jenna 🙂
Oh my the crumbles look awesome. Getting ingredients today. Thanks for sharing
Hi Theresa, I’m glad the crumbles look appealing to you! Let us know what you think after you’ve made them and have tried them. God bless, Jenna
I always soak and dehydrate my nuts as soon as I get them home. Should I soak them again for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Anna,
Given you already have some soaked/dehydrated nuts around, I’d slightly pulse them as they are (i.e., not re-soak them), add the other ingredients, and dehydrate them again for the purpose of “setting” those other ingredients in with the almonds. I haven’t tried this myself, but it sounds like a reasonable approach.
(I would recommend that the next time you buy almonds, set 4 cups of the soaked almonds aside for the specific purpose of this recipe, but then dehydrate the rest as you normally would.)
Let us know how your crumbles work out, in case someone else has the same question in the future!
Thanks, God bless, Jenna
Worked great using dehydrated/dried nuts. This recipe is AWESOME! So simple, so good and good for you. Thanks so much!
Have you ever made this with raw honey in place of the maple syrup? We have about 4 gallons of the stuff, and I can only make so much granola 😉
Hi Virginia, Yes – you can try it with raw honey, although you may have to adjust the amount of sweetener. Depending on the recipe, honey can sometimes overpower the taste of the final product (whereas maple syrup seems to blend in a bit better). Let us know how it works! Jenna 🙂
If I don’t have a dehydrater can I put them in the oven (lowest temp 178) for less time??
Hello Edie, Yes – per the post (for those who don’t have a dehydrator), “When it is time to ‘dehydrate,’ instead turn your oven to its lowest temperature. Spread your crumbles on a few cookie sheets and place in oven. After about 30 minutes, flip the crumbles over to ensure even cooking. Come back 30 minutes later and check. See section on taste-testing to determine when yours are done. Total cooking time could take a couple hours.” Hope this helps! Jenna 🙂
Hi Jenna,
Thank you for the recipe! What kind/brand of cocoa powder did you use? I have cacao nibs I could grind up if that would work instead of buying cocoa powder.
Thank you,
Deb Casey
Edgewood, NM
Hi Deb – This is what I buy for cacao powder: http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/product/chocolate-products-raw-cacao-powder-nonfermented/CACAOPNF5.php
I’m not sure if you can grind up cacao nibs and use as powder. It makes sense to me, but I’ve never tried it. Let us know how it works! Jenna 🙂
I checked the link for Wilderness Family Naturals and found that you buy unfermented raw cacao powder, rather than fermented. Can you tell me the difference? and why you choose unfermented?
Thank you, and thanks for this great recipe!
Janet