Servings: 36 1-inch clusters
Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Oven
- 1 Double Boiler
Ingredients
- 168 g Sliced Almonds
- 28 g Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp Light Corn Syrup
- 1 tbsp Water
- 90 g crystallized ginger (or you can use other dried or candied fruit diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
- 340 g Guittard Gourmet Bittersweet 63% Dark Couverture Chocolate Block
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine almonds, sugar, corn syrup and water in a small bowl, mixing until sugar dissolves.
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment and spread nut mixture into a thin, even layer covering the entire sheet. Toast for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the almonds are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on rack.
- When cooled to room temperature, crumble any chunks and combine with ginger in a small bowl.
- Melt 340 g Guittard Gourmet Bittersweet 63% Dark Couverture Chocolate Block in top of double boiler over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool chocolate to 95ºF.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl combine half of the chocolate, (put remaining chocolate back on top of double boiler to hold at 95ºF) and half of the almond mixture until uniformly coated with chocolate.
- Use 2 teaspoons to form into 1-inch mounds. Work quickly so chocolate does not set before clusters are formed. Repeat with remaining chocolate and almond mixture. Cool at 65ºF until chocolate has solidified and no longer looks wet. Store in an airtight container at 60-70ºF.
- Optional: As an alternative, all of the chocolate and almond mixture can be combined at one time and spread onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Break into bite size pieces after chocolate has solidified.