CHOCO-DATE ALMOND POPPERS

Well, here is an easy to make candy poppers for people who love chocolates and dried fruits/nuts. This is a mouth-watering candy that can be made in less than an hour and can be made experimentally in a hundred different ways with a variety of different nuts and dried fruits which will all taste amazing no matter what.

Here I have decided to go with dates and almonds as they are my favorite. This dish can be made with easily available ingredients and utensils and the candy can even be cured without the need for a refrigerator.

1. Unsweetened cocoa powder 70 grams
2. Unsalted butter 50 grams
3. Sweetened condensed milk 400 grams
4. Sugar 3/4th of a cup
5. Almonds 100 grams
6. Dates 200 grams

1. Thick bottom nonstick pan
2. Wooden spatula
3. Vertical wall tray or a plastic container
4. Knife
5. Toothpicks

The almonds are finely chopped with a knife. If you like your candy chunky, chop it into bigger pieces.

Remember not to chop all your almonds as we'll be replacing the seeds of the dates with almonds as well.

Make a small slit on the side of the dates with the sharp pointy end of the knife. Now with the help of a toothpick, pop out the seed of your dates. Once all the seeds are taken out, insert an almond into each date.

1. First, light the stove and set it to a medium-low flame.
2. Place a thick bottom pan on the stove and wait for it to heat up. If the pan was wet, wait for all the water to evaporate. We are using a thick bottom pan here for even heating of its contents.
3. Once the pan has heated up add 50 grams of unsalted butter.
4. As the butter melts, pour 400 grams of condensed milk to the pan.
5. Now mix everything together with a wooden spatula until an even color is formed.

Once the butter and condensed milk mix well, add 3/4 cup of sugar and 70 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder to the mixture.

Mix the contents well for about 15 minutes until all the sugar has melted and you get a smooth mixture.

Sprinkle the chopped nuts all over your mixture and mix the content well.

The following step is the most important step in the entire cooking process- that is when to switch off the flame.

The texture of your candy and its proper curing depends on this.

Keep mixing the contents continuously. And within the next 10 minutes, you will notice a point when the contents stop sticking to the pan like a liquid. When you see this happening, immediately switch off the flame.

1. First, coat the inside of a tray or a plastic container with butter so that the contents won't stick to the container walls. I would prefer a plastic container as these could be twisted like an ice tray to remove the solidified chocolate inside easily.
2. Now start pouring the hot chocolate mixture into the container. Pour half the content first.
3. Place your dates with the almonds inside in any pattern you want. Make sure you don't fill the whole surface with fruits (in my case dates) as this can cause your candy to easily crumble in the end.
4. Now pour the remaining half of the chocolate mixture and level the top surface with the spatula if required.
5. Now wait till the candy sets and solidifies. You can increase the speed of this process using a refrigerator.
6. Use a toothpick and pierce the mixture to check if it has completely solidified kind of the same way we check for cakes. If there is liquid on the toothpick, wait longer.

Once the mixture solidifies, remove it from the plastic container twisting it slightly and tapping the bottom of the container after keeping it upside down on a plate.

Slice it into the required size using a sharp knife and enjoy your treat.

The candy can be stored in an airtight container without the need for refrigeration for up to two to three weeks.

I hope I explained everything clearly. Do let me know all of your suggestions and doubts through the comments section.

THANKYOU