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Almond Joy Bars
Homemade Almond Joy Bars are loaded with flaky coconut and toasted almonds and covered in smooth milk chocolate.
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Almond Joy Bars are the perfect combination of coconut, almond, and chocolate. These are better than your favorite childhood treat and super simple to make with only 8 ingredients!
MORE RECIPES: Almond Joy Cookies | Blueberry Pie Bars | Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Just like the original candy bar, these Almond Joy Bars are loaded with luscious, flaky coconut and crunchy toasted almonds, and covered in silky smooth chocolate. They’re bursting with nostalgic childhood memories, and easier to make at home than you’d expect.
Almond Joy Bars are the perfect goody to have on hand when you have a sweet tooth craving. Enjoy this sweet treat with a nice cold glass of milk to wash it down to really revel in fond adolescent memories!
It doesn’t require any complicated steps or skills to make these Almond Joy Bars. But they sure will impress all of your friends!
Almond Joy Bars Ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Butter - salted butter
- Coconut extract
- Sugar - powdered sugar
- Coconut - sweetened shredded coconut
- Almonds - whole almonds
- Chocolate chips - milk chocolate chips
- Shortening - I used Crisco
Almond Joy Bars are covered in a silky smooth chocolate coating. While we use milk chocolate chips in this recipe, like the milk chocolate of the original candy bar, you could also substitute them for dark chocolate chips for more of a chocolate punch.
Traditional Almond Joy candy bars only have a few almonds in them, but for your Almond Joy Bars, feel free to add as many almonds as you want to make the extra crunchy! Not a fan of almonds? You could replace them with your favorite nut, or remove them altogether.
You want to make sure that you’re using sweetened shredded coconut found in the baking aisle of your local grocery store for these Almond Joy Bars. Natural or unsweetened coconut will drastically change the flavoring.
How to Make Almond Joy Bars
FIRST STEP: In a medium mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, to cream together the softened cream cheese, salted butter, and coconut extract until smooth.
SECOND STEP: Beat in 2 cups of the powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add the remaining 2 cups and beat again until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Your mixture will be very thick.
THIRD STEP: Stir the sweetened shredded coconut into the cream cheese mixture until evenly incorporated.
FOURTH STEP: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
FIFTH STEP: Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1½-inch cookie scoop, scoop out a ball of Almond Joy filling and shape it into a 1½-inch x 2¼-inch oval. You will need to have a bowl of powdered sugar handy to use to lightly coat your hands, or the ball of filling, to help shape the Almond Joy bars if they are too sticky when handling.
SIXTH STEP: Place the shaped bars onto the parchment-lined baking trays. Once you have shaped all your Almond Joy bars, you will top each bar with two whole almonds.
SEVENTH STEP: Place the baking tray into the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour to allow the bars to get really firm.
EIGHTH STEP: Once your Almond Joy bars have hardened in the freezer, you will want to melt your milk chocolate.
NINTH STEP: To a microwave-safe bowl, add the milk chocolate chips and shortening. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a melt option on your microwave, you can follow your manufacturer's instructions.
TENTH STEP: Dip one frozen Almond Joy bar at a time into the melted chocolate. You can use a spoon to fully coat the top of the candy with melted chocolate.
ELEVENTH STEP: Using a large dinner fork, lift the chocolate-coated bars out of the chocolate and tap the side of the bowl to allow any excess chocolate to drip off and back into the bowl.
TWELFTH STEP: Place each dipped Almond Joy bar back onto the parchment paper. You can use a toothpick to carefully push the bars off of the fork if needed. This will help keep the chocolate looking nice on your bars.
THIRTEENTH STEP: Place the tray of chocolate-coated Almond Joy bars into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. Once the chocolate has firmed up, you can place the Almond Joy bars on a serving plate or into a storage container.
Do I have to use milk chocolate chips for the coating?
Almond Joy candy bars use milk chocolate for their coating. But, you can substitute them for dark chocolate chips for more of a chocolate punch.
Are these the same as Mounds bars?
The only difference between Mounds bars and Almond Joy is that the Almond Joy has the added almonds on top.
Can I toast the almonds for these chocolate bars?
Certainly! If you want to toast the almonds before adding them to the top of the coconut mixture or if you can find toasted almonds at the store, that would make for an extra tasty treat.
How to Store Almond Joy Bars
IN THE FRIDGE: You will need to keep these coconut bars refrigerated, in an airtight container, until ready to eat. Almond Joy Bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
IN THE FREEZER: Almond Joy Bars can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Almond Joy Bars
Homemade Almond Joy Bars are loaded with flaky coconut and toasted almonds and covered in smooth milk chocolate.
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar (plus more for dusting/shaping candies)
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 60 whole almonds
- 23 ounces milk chocolate chips (divided)
- 2 tablespoons shortening (divided (I used Crisco))
DIRECTIONS
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, to cream together the softened cream cheese, salted butter, and coconut extract until smooth.
- Beat in 2 cups of the powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add the remaining 2 cups and beat again until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Your mixture will be very thick.
- Stir the sweetened shredded coconut into the cream cheese mixture until evenly incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 1½-inch cookie scoop, scoop out a ball of Almond Joy filling and shape it into a 1½-inch x 2¼-inch oval. You will need to have a bowl of powdered sugar handy to use to lightly coat your hands, or the ball of filling, to help shape the Almond Joy bars if they are too sticky when handling.
- Place the shaped bars onto the parchment-lined baking trays. Once you have shaped all your Almond Joy bars, you will top each bar with two whole almonds.
- Place the baking tray into the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour to allow the bars to get really firm.
- Once your Almond Joy bars have hardened in the freezer, you will want to melt your milk chocolate.
- To a microwave-safe bowl, add the milk chocolate chips and shortening. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a melt option on your microwave, you can follow your manufacturer's instructions.
- Dip one frozen Almond Joy bar at a time into the melted chocolate. You can use a spoon to fully coat the top of the candy with melted chocolate.
- Using a large dinner fork, lift the chocolate-coated bars out of the chocolate and tap the side of the bowl to allow any excess chocolate to drip off and back into the bowl.
- Place each dipped Almond Joy bar back onto the parchment paper. You can use a toothpick to carefully push the bars off of the fork if needed. This will help keep the chocolate looking nice on your bars.
- Place the tray of chocolate-coated Almond Joy bars into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. Once the chocolate has firmed up, you can place the Almond Joy bars on a serving plate or into a storage container.
Nutrition
Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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