Almond rochers are a delicious and easy-to-make chocolate treat normally characterised by their rough appearance. They are nutty and have a satisfying crunch. Almond rochers are a great treat to make especially for those getting started into chocolate tempering.

This recipe is a different take on almond rochers to bring some extra finesse to the normally rustic treat. It’s arguably easier to make since instead of shaping each rocher individually, we use a mould to achieve a shiny and smooth texture. This recipe is perfect for gifts and is a definite crowd pleaser for a special occasion like for a Christmas dessert platter.

Ingredients

• 70g slivered almonds
• Gold lustre powder (optional)
• 300g couverture dark chocolate, chopped or in small pieces

Makes enough for 40 3cm diameter semisphere pieces. Each piece is about 8g each (2g almond 6g chocolate).

Special equipment

• 40 cavity 3cm diameter semisphere/half sphere polycarbonate chocolate mould (we use CW2022). Silicone moulds will also work but will have less shine
• Thermometer for tempering the chocolate. We use an infrared thermometer to keep it clean.

TLDR Method

For those who have made these before and looking for a quick reference or those with a lot of chocolate experience.

1. Bake the slivered almonds at 150°C for 15 minutes or until browned. Cool.
2. Coat the almonds with gold luster powder.
3. Fill each mould cavity about halfway with almonds.
4. Temper the chocolate.
5. Top up each cavity with the tempered chocolate.
6. Once set, demould.

Notes and Painpoints

• If the room is too hot, the chocolate may not set properly. It may also be difficult cooling the chocolate during tempering. We recommend the room to be cooler than 20°C.
• Make sure to follow the order of the recipe and prepare the moulds with the almonds before tempering the chocolate. The chocolate needs to be fluid enough to fill in the crevices of the almonds and top up the mould elegantly. Once the chocolate is tempered, it will begin to set and so you will need to work quickly at this stage.

Detailed Method

1. Toast the almonds

Bake the slivered almonds in the oven at 150°C for 10-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until fragrant and browned.

Allow the slivered almonds to cool completely.

2. Colour the almonds (optional) 

Add almonds to a ziplock bag. Add the gold lustre powder a little at a time.

Seal and shake the bag until all the almonds are evenly coated, adding more gold powder if necessary.

3. Prepare the mould

Fill each cavity of the semi sphere mould about halfway with the golden slivered almonds.

Don’t add too much or else the chocolate won’t be able to fill enough of the cavity and it won’t hold. Make sure the almonds do not exceed the top of the cavity.

4. Temper the chocolate

Melt 250g of the chocolate in a plastic bowl in small bursts in the microwave until it reaches 45°C being careful to not exceed 50°C. Start off with 20 seconds bursts and stir well in between each burst using a silicone spatula. Once it reaches 38°C, start using shorter 10 or 5 second bursts until the chocolate finally reaches 45°C. The mixture should be liquid and glossy.

Add the remaining 50g chocolate and stir until all the pieces are melted, and the mixture reaches 31-32°C. Once the chocolate has reached this temperature, it should be tempered. You can test that it is tempered correctly by dipping the tip of a knife in the chocolate, tapping off the excess and observing whether the chocolate sets. If tempered correctly, it should begin to set in about 1 minute.

Once tempered, working quickly, transfer the tempered chocolate to a piping bag. Cut a 3-5mm hole in the tip of the piping bag.

5. Fill the mould

Working quickly, pipe the tempered chocolate over the slivered almonds to top up each cavity. Try to fill each cavity just enough so that just reaches the top.

Tap the mould slightly to flatten the chocolate. Do not tap too aggressively or else the slivered almonds may dislodge.

Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature (the room should ideally be colder than 20°C).

6. Demould the rochers

Once the chocolates are completely set, they will have contracted away from the mould. Demould the chocolates by tapping the mould upside down on a hard surface. Avoid rapid tapping to avoid the risk of crushing the rochers as they are demoulded.

Storage

Store the rochers in a cool, dark and dry place in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate. 

Final Product