white and dark clusters

Amys Gluten Free Pantry

I think the only reason my children make candy with me is the reward of licking the chocolate drenched spatulas. It’s a good deal for everyone, actually. While making my traditional bark that my husband hands out at work each year, I came up with this little treat. It’s lovely to look at, but the taste is one of those really perfect balances of savory and sweet with the surprise of cinnamon. I’m always encouraging people to mess around with recipes, but really, try this one just the way it is – divine.

The key is using roasted, salted almonds. Odd as it may seem, salt is the perfect counter measure to chocolate. It makes it taste full and balanced. It provides that quality that makes you want another piece. My only advice – make extra!

Prep time: 10 minutes:
Total time: 2 hours
Yield: as much as you want
Special equipment: sheet pan and parchment paper
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I’m giving general measurements here, because you can produce as much as you want, with just a few guidelines:

about 8 ounces dark chocolate (I use the 72% dark chocolate block from Trader Joe’s), chopped
about 12 ounces white chocolate (I used Trader Joe’s white chocolate chips)
about 1 c. roasted, salted almonds

  1. Arrange parchment upon sheet pan.
  2. Place almonds atop pan in groups of four.
  3. Melt white chocolate over double boiler, tempering it.
  4. Using a table spoon measurement, (or a soup spoon), drop white chocolate onto almond cluster and wait until it sets about 45 minutes.
  5. Melt dark chocolate over double boiler, tempering it.
  6. Using a table spoon measurement, (or a soup spoon), drop slightly less amount of dark chocolate onto almond cluster, so that the chocolate drapes over the white chocolate but doesn’t obscure it.
  7. After 10 minutes, dust the clusters with cinnamon. Allow clusters to set further another 45 minutes.

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