This Copycat Recipe for Lily’s Salted Almond Chocolate Bars is not only sugar-free and delicious but also about half the cost.
I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty excited about this one, it’s SO MUCH CHEAPER to make them yourself. It’s a pretty crazy time in our country and the world right now which has prompted my family and me to make some changes to our budget and the way we’ve been stocking up.
One of the biggest changes was to our grocery budget and which items were going to be prioritized. Now is not really the time for us to be spending $4.50 on a chocolate bar. We want to stay on plan but that’s one expensive chocolate bar so I chose to do what I always do when I want something that’s too expensive…DIY!
Here’s the break down:
1 Lily’s Bar from Whole Foods or Sprouts: $4.30 per bar
********1 Copy Cat Lily’s Chocolate Bar: $2.50 per bar********
Now you can see why I was excited. Each bag of chips yields 3 chocolate bars. Saving that much on each bar really adds up, especially if your family eats chocolate like mine. The price per bar goes down even more when you can catch the chocolate chips on sale! I love saving money!
Copycat Recipe for Lily’s Salted Almond Chocolate Bars
Yield:
- 3 Glorious Chocolate bars
Tools Needed (All tools linked below):
Ingredients (All ingredients linked below):
- 1 bag – Lily’s Milk Chocolate Chips (You can also use dark if you prefer)
- 1/3 cup – Chopped Almonds
- 3 pinches – Kosher Salt or any other larger grained salt
Instructions:
1. Place the entire bag of chocolate chips in the glass bowl and microwave for 15 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir with the wooden spoon. Put the bowl back in the microwave for 10 seconds then stir and repeat. I needed to do 4-5 intervals of 10 seconds to get the chocolate completely melted.
I know this might seem pointless and you might be asking yourself, “What difference does it make if it’s 10 or 20 seconds at a time?” The difference is liquid chocolate that solidifies and liquid chocolate that stays liquid. Be patient and do it right, wasting chocolate is a sin!
When you get to the 4th interval stir the chocolate for 30 seconds. If after stirring for about 30 seconds not all the chips have melted in, microwave one more time for 5 seconds and that should do it.
2. Add the chopped almonds and salt to the melted chocolate. Mix until all of the nuts are completely covered in chocolate.
3. Scoop about 1/3 of a cup of the chocolate into each mould and use your offset spatula to spread it into every nook and cranny. Make sure the chocolate is level with the mould, not overflowing and not below. This will give you a more even bar.
If you have chocolate left over after filling 3 moulds, put it in the 4th one to make a partial bar.
4. Move all the moulds to a cookie sheet and place in the freezer or fridge for about 15 – 20 mins.
5. After the chocolate has hardened, turn the moulds upside down and gently peel the mould off of the bar.
6. If the bars last long enough to be stored, store them in a plastic baggy in the fridge or freezer.
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Printable Recipe:
Copycat Recipe for Lily's Salted Almond Chocolate Bars
Equipment
- Silicone Chocolate Bar Molds
- Mini Offset Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Lily's Milk Chocolate Chips
- 1/3 Cup Chopped Almonds
- 3 Pinches Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Place the entire bag of chocolate chips in the glass bowl and microwave for 15 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir with the wooden spoon. Put the bowl back in the microwave for 10 seconds then stir and repeat. I needed to do 4-5 intervals of 10 seconds to get the chocolate completely melted. I know this might seem pointless and you might be asking yourself, “What difference does it make if it’s 10 or 20 seconds at a time?” The difference is liquid chocolate that solidifies and liquid chocolate that stays liquid. Be patient and do it right, wasting chocolate is a sin! When you get to the 4th interval stir the chocolate for 30 seconds. If after stirring for about 30 seconds not all the chips have melted in, microwave one more time for 5 seconds and that should do it.
- Add the chopped almonds and salt to the melted chocolate. Mix until all of the nuts are completely covered in chocolate.
- Scoop about 1/3 of a cup of the chocolate into each mold and use your offset spatula to spread it into every nook and cranny. Make sure the chocolate it level with the mold, not overflowing and not below. This will give you a more even bar. If you have chocolate left over after filling 3 molds, but it in the 4th one to make a partial bar. Don't waste the chocolate, it's a sin.
- Move all the molds to a cookie sheet and place in the freezer or fridge for about 15 - 20 mins. After the chocolate has hardened, turn the molds upside down and gently peel the mold off of the bar.
- If the bars last long enough to be stored, store them in a plastic baggy in the fridge or freezer.
Hey there, can’t I just melt the chips in a pan on the stove and achieve the right effect? I don’t have a microwave.
Thanks,
Jocelyn
Yes can try that but if you don’t have a microwave I would suggest a Bain Marie instead of directly in the pot. Basically, you just put about an inch of water in the pan, bring it to a simmer, place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl, and place the bowl on the simmering water to melt it slowly.