Chocolate Almond Clusters

Yes, I'm still reducing my sugar intake.  I made these with sugar-free chocolate chips.  Which is not the same thing as unsweetened chocolate, as I discovered the first time I bought them.  They're sweetened with some artificial something, but not a whole lot of it.  Slightly more bitter than bittersweet, which is fine with me.  You can absolutely use any kind of chocolate chip or coating chocolate to make these clusters.

I chose to use sliced almonds here.  Whenever I have chocolate coated almond clusters, I find them too hard to bite through.  I end up gnawing off one nut at a time, then eat all the chocolate off it and suck on a soggy almond.  Slivered almonds are also a good choice.

I did stir in some unsweetened coconut flakes.  I get it, coconut is not for everyone.  If you omit it, use a full cup of almond pieces.

1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
*3/4 C sliced or slivered almonds
*1/4 C coconut flakes
flaky sea salt, optional

1.  Melt the chips.  You can either double-boiler it or microwave in 30 second bursts.  I did the microwave.  Just make sure to stir it each time, because chocolate often holds its shape, even when it has melted.  You have to stir it to check.

2.  Stir in almonds and coconut, if using.  I had been keeping my almonds in the freezer and they hardened up the chocolate fairly quickly.  20 seconds back in the microwave took care of it.

3.  Spoon out mounds onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet.  I went for two-bite cookie size, a heaping tablespoon, and got 12.  If you're into the whole salted/sweet thing, sprinkle with flaky salt before the chocolate sets.  Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a sealable container.  Can be kept on the counter up to 80ºF pretty much indefinitely, or in the fridge if it's hot.

Makes about 12

Difficulty rating  π