Almond Apricot Chocolate Drops
Toasted almonds and dried apricots locked in dark chocolate. Made at home, eaten cold.
- calories
- 320
- weight
- 2 oz
- cal / oz
- 160
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 12, scales
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Dessert
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Car camping
- Winter / snow
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Slivered almonds | 8 oz | |
|---|---|---|
| Dark chocolate chips | 12 oz | Ghirardelli holds its temper better than store brand |
| Dried apricots | 5 oz | chopped small, pea size or under |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | optional, cuts the sweetness |
Method
- At home: toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they smell like almonds and go gold. Five minutes, stirring. Let them cool completely.
- Chop the apricots small. Big pieces make drops that break apart in a pack.
- Melt the chocolate low and slow. A pan over a second pan of hot water, off the burner, works. Water in the chocolate ruins it, so keep the steam out.
- Stir the cooled almonds, apricots, and salt into the chocolate until every piece is coated.
- Spoon into mounds on parchment. Let them set at room temperature for an hour, or twenty minutes in the fridge if the kitchen is warm.
- In camp: open the bag and eat.
This is trail food that gets built in a kitchen, not at camp. Chocolate is one of the densest calorie sources you can carry, and setting it around toasted nuts and dried fruit turns it into a bar that does not need a wrapper or a stove. Roughly 320 calories in two ounces, most of it fat, which is what you want on a cold day.
Toasting the almonds matters more than it sounds. Raw slivered almonds go soft against the fruit and taste like nothing; toasted, they stay crisp for a week and give the drop something to break against. The apricots have to be chopped small for the same reason a Ramen Bomb needs potato flakes: structure. Large chunks leave the chocolate no continuous surface to hold onto, and the whole thing crumbles into the bottom of your food bag.
The dairy question is the one to watch. Most chocolate chips contain milk fat, so this is vegetarian but not dairy-free unless you buy chips that say so.
Packing
Set fully, then pack in a rigid container or a bag that rides on top. Chocolate blooms and softens above about 85F, so keep them out of a hot tent and off the top of a black pack in the sun. They firm back up overnight.
Variations
- Swap the apricots for dried cherries, mango, or cranberries. Any dried fruit works if you chop it small.
- Add 1/2 cup of granola or crisp rice for bulk and a lighter bite.
- Use dairy-free chocolate chips and these become vegan.
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/chocolate-treats.215908