Almond and Goat Cheese Candy Bars

By Melissa Clark

Almond and Goat Cheese Candy Bars
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes, plus chilling
Rating
4(710)
Comments
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In today’s locavore, organic-minded, food-crazed culture, we get so wrapped up in the idea of seasonal fruits and vegetables that it can be easy to forget another important, deep vein of seasonal foodstuff opportunities.

That is, candy. Because I wasn’t trying to make child-friendly crowd pleasers here, I had the freedom to pull out ingredients that would not normally appear in a candy bowl. And because these candy bars are savory-sweet, as opposed to cloying sweet, I can eat more of them before my teeth start to ache.

It’s important to use a mild, soft goat cheese here. You want a slight tang but not an overwhelming barnyard flavor. And if you really dislike the funkiness of goat cheese, you can use cream cheese instead. The candy will be sweeter and not as complex tasting, but the recipe will still work.

Featured in: Neighbors Won’t Give Candy Like This

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Ingredients

Yield:18 bars
  • 5tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 25grams sliced almonds (about ⅓ cup)
  • ¼teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
  • ¾cup smooth almond butter
  • 2tablespoons softened goat cheese
  • 55grams almond flour (about ½ cup)
  • 195grams confectioner’s sugar (about 1½ cups)
  • 4ounces bittersweet (72 percent) chocolate, coarsely chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)

195 calories; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 34 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until almonds are golden, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl.

  3. Step 3

    In an electric mixer, beat together almond butter and goat cheese. Beat in almond flour. Stop mixer and scrape down sides. Beat in sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and 5 tablespoons butter until combined. Scrape down sides and beat once more to combine. Spread into pan.

  4. Step 4

    Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over pot of simmering water and cook, stirring, until the chocolate is completely melted. Scrape chocolate into the pan over the almond butter mixture and spread evenly. Scatter almonds over chocolate. Let cool to room temperature. Cover with foil and chill until firm. Cut into 18 bars.

Ratings

4 out of 5
710 user ratings
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Comments

Anne R

Thanks to those who posted before me, I was aware of the crumbling crust issue. I used the food processor to make the base. It looked so crumbly in the work bowl, I was reminded of making pie crust. So, I sprinkled about a tablespoon of water and whirled it in the processor a bit more. It "balled" just like dough. I pressed it in the pan and for good measure baked it about 12 minutes at 250. I had no difficultly with a crumbly crust when I served it.

sjk

Nice combination of flavors but soooo sweet and bottom doesn't firm up well so it breaks up when you cut. If I were to make it again, I would reduce sugar(140g) and butter(3T), increase goat cheese(4T), almond flour(80g), chocolate(6oz) and toasted almonds(50g). Maybe harden it a bit more in freezer before cutting.

Sara

Love this. Like fancy peanut butter cups. I only had whole almonds (not sliced, nor flour), but they works great - just ground some slightly in a food processor for step 2, and ground some further to make flour. Delicious.

Sean Gerrity

Baking the crust sounds like a good idea. Will try that. I think I will also double the goat cheese for more of that flavor. Reducing sugar is a good idea too.

freja

I'm allergic to almonds. What might be a good substitute to the almond flour and butter? I could use pistachio in place of sliced almonds.

PAS

I'm confused by some of the earlier notes reference to a crust. Was the recipe updated to remove it?

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