Mendiants

(1)
Yield:
4 dozen

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons light-corn syrup

  • 1 cup assorted nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and peanuts

  • ½ cup sugar

  • 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

  • cup assorted dried fruits, such as apricots and cranberries, cut into ¼-inch pieces

  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together corn syrup and nuts to coat. Sprinkle with sugar, and stir to combine. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until toasted, 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Break up to separate into individual nuts.

  2. Meanwhile, place half the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave oven; transfer melted chocolate to another vessel to cool. Gradually add remaining chocolate, stirring until melted. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. Stop adding chocolate and blending once chocolate reaches 88 to 90 degrees.

  3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and spread to a circle 1 1/2 inches in diameter using the back of a spoon, making about 10 circles. Working quickly, press 4 or 5 pieces of a mixture of nuts and fruit onto each disk. Sprinkle lightly with coconut. Repeat process with remaining ingredients. Let stand until firm.

Related Articles