by John Legge
Editor’s Note: In his book Food Rules, Michael Pollan declares, “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” The idea is that by cooking at home, you’ll avoid all the unpronounceable chemicals found in store-bought junk. And even though you might gorge on it, you can only eat as much as you made—and it takes hands-on effort, not just a trip to the supermarket, to procure more. In that spirit, we offer DIY Junk Food, the recipe column for those who want to get their hands dirty in the kitchen before enjoying some sublime junk.
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Photo: John Legge
I love Almond Joys. There’s nothing like hydrolyzed
milk proteins, soy lecithin, caramel coloring, sodium metabisulfite, and sulfur
dioxide to get my mouth watering. (Those last two additives keep Almond Joys extra-fresh
for an extra-, extra-long long time.)
Of course, I don’t want to actually eat those mystery
ingredients that candy bars are so full of, but that doesn’t mean I want to
skip the perfect Almond Joy combination of coconut, chocolate, and almonds.
Lucky for me, I’m a pastry chef. I knew I could figure out how to make my own Almond
Joy using just the basics—sugar, eggs, flour, honey, salt, butter, coconut, vanilla,
chocolate, and almonds (or no almonds because, you know, sometimes you feel
like a nut and sometimes you don’t). And I didn’t need a chemistry set to give
my Almond Joys long shelf-life—the bars don’t stick around that long.
If you’re afraid you’ll eat all 18 of your homemade
Almond Joys in a day, I recommend stowing at least half of the pre-formed bars
in the freezer. Then you can pull out the right number for you and a friend.
Just make sure you defrost those frozen bars before you bake them.
Homemade Almond Joys
7 oz sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup egg whites (about 4 eggs)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces whole roasted almonds (unsalted)
4 ounces good quality chocolate, chopped
1½ Tablespoons butter
Photo: John LeggeMix the coconut, sugar, flour and salt together in a sauce
pan.
In a bowl combine the egg whites and honey and whisk until
foamy.
Add the egg mixture
to the sauce pan and mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula.
Cook over medium high heat until the batter slightly
thickens and takes on a little color, about 10 minutes. You will need to stir
frequently so that the batter doesn’t burn on to the bottom of the pot.
Mix in the vanilla.
When the batter is cool enough to handle, form spoonfuls
into oval bars. Lightly press two whole almonds into the top of each bar.
Bake at 350 degrees
for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow the bars to cool to room temperature.
While they’re cooling, combine the chocolate and butter in a
double-boiler (you can set a metal bowl over a pot of boiling water if you
don’t have a double-boiler). Allow the chocolate to melt slowly, mixing it with
the butter.
Dip the top of each bar into the melted chocolate, shaking
off the excess.
Once the chocolate is set, you’re done.
Makes about 18 (highly delicious and preservative free)
bars, which can be eaten immediately or frozen for later use.
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