Anita Chu
Contributor
Anita Chu is a baker, writer, and photographer. She is the creator of Dessert First, an award-winning blog dedicated to all things sweet, and the author of three cookbooks, including Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco and is usually found either making or eating dessert.
How to Temper Chocolate
With these tips, making glossy, beautiful chocolate is a snap.
Coconut-and-Almond Candy
The killer combination of coconut, almonds, and milk chocolate makes for a delectable candy bar. One of the most iconic of American candies, the Almond Joy, is famous for its creamy coconut filling topped with almonds and covered in milk chocolate. Its sibling, the Mounds bar, has the same coconut center but no almonds. Although the recipes for these two candies are top secret, it's possible to make wonderfully coconutty chocolate candies in your own home.
History: The Almond Joy was invented in 1946 by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company in Connecticut. The Mounds bar was the original version of the candy, premiering in 1921. Peter Paul used the unusual strategy of creating two very similar candies and advertising them as competing versions, encouraging consumers to pick a favorite. This tactic worked: Almond Joy and Mounds became two of the best-selling candies in the 1920s.
Serving Suggestions: Trick-or-treaters will be delighted to find these candies in the Halloween candy bag. Wrap them in foil or place them in candy cups.
Candy-Making Notes: You can eliminate the almonds and cover the coconut centers with dark chocolate. Better yet, make both versions and give your guests a pleasant dilemna of which to choose.