Jules Destrooper Almond Thins, Box of Authentic Belgian Butter Biscuits, Luxury Biscuits Gift Set, Bulk Pack of 6 x 100 g

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This recipe is gluten-free – it has almond flour and a little bit of rice flour. Almond flour is naturally moist with oil and so no other form of oil or fat is needed. Rice flour brings a small amount of crunch and texture to the thins, a little body and a bit of a bite. Toothsome is the word that best describes these coffee almond thins. They taste a hundred times better. There is no question on this one. None. Fresh almonds, rich dark chocolate, sea salt--from scratch is the way to go. I find that Bark Thins are a bit dry and not quite as rich as I hope they would be. Not the case here. This dark chocolate crunchy goodness is spot on. Now beat in the sugar bit by bit and continue beating until the mixture forms soft peaks. When that happens, carefully fold in the rest of the ingredients except the almonds. Next drop 4 rounded teaspoons of the mixture evenly spaced out on one of the lined trays, then using a small palette knife spread the mixture thinly and evenly into discs about 10cm across.

I almost always have all 4 of these things in the pantry so this is a perfect thing to whip up when I am feeling the sweet and salty craving coming on--which is very often. How to make these homemade Bark Thins: Add some coconut. I know that one of the flavors of the real Bark Thins involves coconut and I am a big fan of it so I toss some in hear and there. Add about ⅓ c shredded coconut to the mix. In a food processor, pulse ½ cup of the almonds with ½ cup of the brown sugar until the almonds are finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Crush the almonds. The best part of this recipe is that you get to get out some aggression. Place all the almonds in a plastic bag. Use a wooden spoon or a meat tenderizer and pound those almonds! You can break them down as small as you would like. I still like to have some bigger chunks. ( steps 1 and 2) Pour all of the almonds into the melted chocolate along with the vanilla and stir well to combine. ( steps 4 and 5)

Add about ½ - 1 teaspoon espresso powder for a coffee buzz flavor! Consider it a Dark Chocolate Mocha Sea Salt Bark! Press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the dough and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Melt the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. You have two options. You can microwave it in 25 second increments, stirring in between. If you use this method, you want to make sure you do not over heat the chocolate. When you pull it out each time to stir it, stir it well. When it's mostly melted but there are still a few chunks left in, just keep stirring instead of heating more and you should be good to go! ( step 2) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light. Beat in eggs, one at a time, followed by almond extract. Stir in flour mixture, mixing until the dough almost comes together, then add in sliced almonds and mix until dough comes together and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.

I can honestly say these homemade Bark Thins are so versatile and there are so many fun ways to make tasty variations. Here are a few things I love to do: Place the butter, sugar, and water into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the butter just melts, and the sugar is semi dissolved. (Don’t let it boil!) Remove from the heat, stir in the extracts, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Your other option is a double boiler method if you don't want to use the microwave. The video in the link above shows how to use this method really well. ( step 2) If you are a fan of chocolate bark, and more specifically, Bark Thins, then you will LOVE this homemade version. While I am certainly one for convenience, especially when it comes to candy, there is really no reason to ever by this chocolate bark again. Why these homemade bark thins are better than the store bought:Form the dough into two 12-by-1½-inch logs. Refrigerate, tightly wrapped, until firm, about 2 hours or up to 2 days. I love all things sweet and salty. I especially love chocolate with anything salty. Chocolate and pretzels, chocolate and nuts, you name it. If freezer space is tight and you cannot get baking sheet in easily, split this up over two baking pans or even plates to help fit more easily.

sea salt: these bark thins have a nice hint of salt. If it is too much for you, start with half the amount and then sprinkle more on top after freezing if desired. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes; let cool. (Or, toast on the stove top in an iron skillet ~ stir constantly til golden. Be careful not to burn them!).You can keep these in the freezer or fridge. To be honest, they can stay at room temperature as well, but I find that they sometimes soften a bit if I keep them out of the fridge. Start the mousse by putting the orange wedges and water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, prodding with a wooden spoon from time to time to release the juice from the flesh and the oils from the skin. Strain into a measuring jug. It should yield approximately 150ml orange juice – top up with a little cold water if it is slightly under. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. It is better to spread the batter thinly. However, this is dependent on how big your baking tray is. My baking tray is approx 45 cm x 35 cm or 18 in x 14 in which is large enough to spread the biscuit mixture thinly. If you have smaller baking trays, then either divide the biscuit mixture into 2 trays or do it in batches. Freeze! Pop these in the freezer. Since they are so thin, it really doesn't take very long to set up. I think the most I have ever chilled them is 30 minutes. Once the bark thins are solid, break them up into pieces and enjoy! (steps 7 and 8)

Play around with extracts: add some coconut extract, peppermint extract, maybe even some almond extract! Turn dough out onto a large sheet of wax paper and shape into a rectangle about 3-inches wide by 1-inch high (dough can be divided into two smaller logs, if desired). Wrap well with wax paper and chill for 2 hours. Raw sugar in the batter makes this almond thins recipe moderately sweet. It’s also the reason why they have a pleasant chewiness, a quality that engages your full mouth and as a result leaves you feeling satisfied even after you’ve eaten only one. The sea salt crystals are a mere whisper in the recipe, they’re hidden from sight but your tongue can hear them. Quiet, but making their presence felt in a seemingly sweet treat. Flourless cookie

Egg whites bind the batter, from 3 eggs. It’s more liquid than most cookie batters, so don’t be alarmed. It just means that they’re free form. You can try and get perfect circles, I couldn’t and honestly it doesn’t matter. Just use a tablespoon (or teaspoon if you want smaller ones) to drop them on the baking sheet ensuring that they have space to spread. This may mean that you may get fewer on a tray in each batch; don’t worry, bake them in 2 rounds if needed. There’s no leavening in there so nothing will happen to the batter waiting the first batch bakes up. To make the biscuits, preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Beat the butter with the sugar in a food mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, flour and vanilla extract, and beat again until a smooth paste is formed. Don’t worry about a small hole here and there – it doesn’t matter at all. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds, then bake the biscuits near the centre of the oven for 4–5 minutes or until they have turned a nice golden colour with a fine brown fringe. almonds: I use raw and unsalted almonds for this recipe. You could lightly toast them a bit to bring out the flavor if desired. If you have roasted almonds, I suggest making sure they are unsalted. Otherwise, it may be a bit too much in the end.