Calories in Chocolate Covered Almonds

Almonds have been known to be a rich source of vitamins, minerals and nature's finest when it comes to nutritional benefits. Couple these with chocolate and you have an even more healthy combination on your hands. To stay healthy and not pack on unnecessary pounds, I suggest you use dark chocolate instead of milk based ones, since it is a healthy alternative in its entirety. The calories will differ greatly when compared to that of dark chocolate, since milk chocolate contains milk and other solids that pack on the calories. You'll see for yourself how the two kinds of chocolate fluctuate calorie wise, where you can be the judge of whether going dark is the way to go. There's no harm in wanting milk chocolate as your outer coating for the almonds, except that you need to go easy on these tummy pleasing umber goodies.

Nutritional Information of Chocolate Covered Almonds

Let's take a look now at the nutritional values of dark / milk chocolate covered almonds that include all the ingredients that will determine whether it is wholesome or otherwise, when it comes to how often it can be eaten.

Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds Nutrition Chart
Nutrient Content	Portion= 13 pieces, Calories=220
Fiber	3g
Fat	15g
Sugars	14g
Saturated Fat	6g
Carbohydrates	19g
Cholesterol	5mg

Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds Nutrition Chart
Nutrient Content	Portion= 13 pieces, Calories=332
Fiber	1.3g
Fat	20g
Sugars	24g
Saturated Fat	10g
Carbohydrates	30.1g
Cholesterol	6.4mg

Recipes Using Chocolate Covered Almonds

This is where things get a whole lot interesting for chocoholics, where I've put together two savory desserts, coupled with of course chocolate covered almonds. These are simple to whip up and will prove to be quite the treat when you sit down and take in these heavenly combinations coupled with chocolaty nuts.

Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds with Coconut Ice Cream and Fried Pineapple

What You'll Need

• A packet of ready-made chocolate covered almonds (100g)
• 2 scoops of coconut flavored ice cream (for those who don't have, use vanilla and coconut shavings)
• 1 single pineapple disc
• 1 shot glass worth of dark rum
• 2 teaspoons of mint leaves

Method of Preparation

To start off with this dessert dish, use a non stick pan to first gently fry your pineapple. Don't use oil or any kind of substance to do this. When the pan heats up, place your pineapple within it and turn it over after 20 seconds making sure it is nice and brown when you overturn it. Then gently pour into this your dark rum and stand back to avoid the flame that will shoot up as a result of the alcohol being burnt away. Toss about your pineapple in the rum reduction and flip it off to get both sides soaking up its flavor. Take this out and place it on a plate and wait for it to cool. Then take two scoops of the coconut flavored ice cream and plate these. Slice your pineapple disc through the middle so that you have two semi circles of this. Place the two scoops together and include the pineapple pieces along these on the outside. Lastly, plop some chocolate covered almonds (about 8 pieces) on the ice cream and finally garnish with mint leaves.

Orange Flavored Dark Chocolate Almonds

What You'll Need

• 2 large bars of dark chocolate (like Lindt or Hershey's)
• 1 cup of almonds
• 1 mold tray with round hollow spaces
• 3 large oranges
• Grater
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

Method of Preparation

Using the grater, first grate a cup of orange zest by gently shredding the skin. Then keep this side and juice the oranges using a juicer. Keep this aside as well and get on with reducing your dark chocolate. First take a big deep dish and keep it on the boil halfway filled with water, with a glass bowl submerged within it. Make sure the water comes only up to its mid section and doesn't reach the bowl's brim. Place your roughly broken up pieces of dark chocolate in the glass bowl and on medium heat let these gradually melt using the hot water below to do this. Once it starts to melt, drop in your one tablespoon of butter, gently mixing it about until it completely merges with the dark mass. Take this off the gas before proceeding to the next step.

Add 1 cup of orange juice to this and about two tablespoons of orange zest (mix well) before pouring the bowl's contents into the mold tray. Gently then dip into each center a single almond, repetitively doing this for all molds. You can use a toothpick instead of your finger to gently submerse each nut. Place these in the refrigerator and let it cool and set for about 2 hours, after which your orange flavored dark chocolate is then ready to be devoured.

The calories in chocolate covered almonds shouldn't put you in a spot where you question yourself if whether you should indulge or not. Live a little and let go of those rules for a bit every now and then, and just dig into a nice helping of these. Just be sure not to overindulge in these tempting eats. Have a healthy tomorrow.