Honey-Cocoa Almonds For Later Full GAPS

These honey-cocoa almonds have a thin chocolate-flavored coating, a little finishing salt, and the crunch of properly prepared whole nuts. The coating comes together in a saucepan. After that, the almonds spread out on a tray to dry, without another roast in a hot oven.

Start with homemade salt-soaked crispy almonds that are already completely dry and cool. That preparation happens before this recipe. Here, you measure two cups of the finished almonds and coat them with honey, pure organic cocoa, and a little water.

Before we started GAPS in July 2024, our family ate a lot of sugar and heavily processed carbohydrates. The difference between an occasional treat and an everyday staple matters to me. This is a cocoa treat for later Full GAPS, rather than something I would bring into the early stages.

Where Cocoa Fits On GAPS

Pure organic cocoa powder can be used occasionally on Full GAPS after digestive symptoms are gone. That is the placement for these almonds. They are not an Introduction Diet recipe, and using honey does not change the cocoa’s place in the diet.

Use plain cocoa powder without sugar or other additives. Hot-chocolate drink mixes and ordinary chocolate bars are different products. This recipe measures two tablespoons of cocoa powder, not a sweetened drinking-chocolate blend.

The almonds also need their own preparation. The linked crispy-almond recipe takes whole almonds through soaking and drying before you use them here. Wet nuts straight from a soaking bowl are not the same starting ingredient as dry, crisp nuts.

The coating is dairy-free and egg-free, with honey for sweetness. The almonds make it a nut-based treat.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons filtered water
• 2 tablespoons natural honey
• 2 tablespoons pure organic cocoa powder
• 2 cups prepared, fully dried crispy almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon mineral salt, for finishing

Prepared almonds: Measure the two cups after the separate soaking and drying recipe is finished. The nuts should be crisp through the center, with no soft, damp middle. Starting with dry almonds helps you keep the coating stage separate from the much longer job of drying soaked nuts.

Honey and water: The water loosens the honey and cocoa so you can stir them together in the saucepan. It is a measured ingredient, even though some moisture leaves as the mixture simmers. Add the full two tablespoons at the beginning rather than trying to make the coating from dry cocoa and thick honey alone.

Cocoa: Cocoa powder can arrive in small lumps. Work those through the honey-water mixture with your spoon before adding the almonds. The mixture should look evenly brown, with no dry cocoa pockets left around the sides of the saucepan.

Finishing salt: The half teaspoon goes over the coated almonds on the tray. Salt used earlier in preparing the nuts belongs to that separate recipe; it is not water or salt to pour into this saucepan. The finished almonds have both honey sweetness and a little salt on the outside.

Yield: A batch made from two cups of prepared almonds. That is the batch size, not a suggested amount for one person to eat.

How To Make Honey-Cocoa Almonds

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and measure the prepared almonds and finishing salt. Put the filtered water, honey, and cocoa in a small stainless-steel saucepan. Stir together and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Add the almonds. Stir to turn the nuts through the coating until the mixture is thick and syrupy and clings to the almonds rather than leaving loose watery liquid in the pan. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the coating from catching.
3. Spread the coated almonds on the lined tray. For this finish without another roast, the coating should already be dry enough that the nuts are not very tacky. Sprinkle with the measured mineral salt and separate the nuts so they can dry without sitting in a deep pile.
4. Allow the coating to dry for one to two hours. The almonds should be cool and the coating dry enough for the nuts to separate and be handled. Check that finish before covering the batch.
5. Serve the finished almonds or transfer them to a covered container. Store in the refrigerator once completely cool and dry.

Have the tray ready before starting the saucepan. Once the mixture coats the nuts, you want somewhere to spread them straight away. A wooden spoon or silicone spatula helps bring the mixture up from the base and turn the nuts through it.

At the beginning, the cocoa and honey loosen into the water. Small bubbles mark the simmer, and the warm cocoa aroma becomes more noticeable. Stir across the bottom and into the corners so the cocoa is mixed through rather than left as a dry ring.

After the almonds go in, look at the coating on the nuts and the liquid left underneath them. The aim is a coating that clings. A spoonful of nuts should bring the cocoa mixture with it, rather than leave the almonds sitting in a watery pool.

The tray finish works with almonds that were already dried before coating. Spread them out and give the coating its drying time. This is a honey-cocoa glaze, not melted chocolate that sets into a thick shell. Expect the surface to follow the ridges and natural shape of each almond.

Timing And Storage

Plan for one to two hours of drying after the saucepan work. That waiting time is part of making these almonds, even though you are not standing at the stove for all of it. Finish preparing the crispy almonds before you start this recipe.

The saucepan stage is judged by the simmer and the thick, clinging coating. There is no fixed saucepan cooking time here. A broad pan and a small pan do not lose moisture at exactly the same rate, so watch the mixture while you stir.

Leave the almonds uncovered on the tray while the coating dries. Covering a warm, wet batch traps moisture instead of giving you the dry finish you want. Once the almonds are cool and the coating is dry enough to handle, move them to a covered container in the refrigerator.

Keep them away from wet utensils and close the container after taking some out. Make a batch size that fits the way you plan to serve it. Having the crispy almonds prepared ahead leaves only the coating and its drying time for the day you want the finished treat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need To Roast Them Again?

No. This method begins with almonds that have already been soaked and dried until crisp. The saucepan adds the cocoa-honey coating, then the tray gives it room to dry. Another hot roast is not part of this recipe and can darken the cocoa coating quickly.

Can I Start With Wet Soaked Almonds?

Finish drying them first. The linked crispy-almond recipe explains that preparation. Measure two cups once the nuts are dry and cool. The brief saucepan coating stage does not replace the longer drying stage for wet nuts.

Will They Have A Hard Chocolate Shell?

These use cocoa, honey, and water rather than a melted chocolate bar. Look for a thin coating that follows the nuts’ shape and becomes dry enough to handle. It will not look like a thick, smooth shell of tempered chocolate.

Can I Use A Dehydrator?

The separate crispy-almond preparation includes a dehydrator option for drying the soaked nuts. That happens before you measure the almonds for this recipe. After coating, use the tray finish described here: spread the nuts out and allow one to two hours for the coating to dry.

Can I Make A Double Batch?

Yes. Double all five ingredients together, including the finishing salt. Use enough saucepan and tray space to turn the nuts and spread them without a deep pile. Make two original-size batches if that fits your equipment better, and judge each coating by how it clings.

Recommended Equipment

Use measuring spoons and cups, a small stainless-steel saucepan, a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, and a parchment-lined baking sheet. A wide tray gives the coated nuts space to dry. You will also need a covered container for the finished, cooled batch.

The soaking bowl and low-temperature drying equipment belong to the separate crispy-almond recipe. Get that preparation finished ahead of time so this recipe begins with the two cups of dry nuts it needs.

Related Recipes

For another occasional cocoa-and-nut treat at the same later Full GAPS point, coconut pecan cocoa fudge brings coconut and prepared pecans into a different recipe. It gives you another way to use pure organic cocoa with prepared nuts.

More Treats Without The Oven

Look for my upcoming No-Bake Snacks Cookbook through the WFLI shop. It brings together recipes with their ingredient-preparation steps, so you can plan what needs soaking, chilling, or drying before you want to serve the finished treat.