Sometimes you feel like a nut…
Two great things are happening right now…pre-season hockey is about to start(you know you are excited, well at least Ivonne is) and Halloween candy can be found everywhere.
Oh evil, evil Halloween candy, how I love you so. Bags and bags of my favorite candies conveniently miniaturized for my candy eating pleasure. Only problem is, I have no problem throwing back 6 mini Snickers only to be horrified by reading the nutrition label. Why is it that I would never sit down and eat 3 Snickers bars in a row but I eat 6 mini ones that are the equivalent of 3 Snickers bars! Oh my.
I go through phases when it comes to buying Halloween candy. On years when I am dieting of course we hand out candy that I don’t really want to eat…which it is pretty hard to find a candy I don’t really like. In recent years, I have been buying candy that my husband likes to eat. In the last 3 years we have had 2 whole trick-o-treaters. Two. 
. So we just buy what he will eat so that he can put them in his lunch.
Now I must shamefully admit that I was one of those people that trick-o-treated all the way up until I was a senior in high school. But I will admit that at least I would go all out with my costume(not like what they come as now a days…in street clothes and a mask…that they are usually holding in their hand). I’ve been a fish aquarium, 7-UP can(that was part of a 6 pack), Dasher(one of Santa’s reindeer) with my other friends as the 8 other reindeer and our Jewish friend L as Santa Claus.
So why would a 17 year old go out and trick-o-treat?
I just could not give up the idea of free candy. Lots and lots of free candy! I almost always filled up my pillowcase(screw that little plastic pumpkin crap) all the way up to the top. I would come home and dump my candy on the floor. My parents would do their “safety inspection” aka stealing the candy they wanted. This always led to a struggle. You see, both my mother and I love Mounds and Almond Joys…and well, other people must not because I hardly ever got any. It got to the point that as I go older I would pick them out before we got home and I would hide them in the planter and go get them later 
! Sharing is not one of my strong points. 
So with all this Halloween candy around I decided to make a tribute to the most fought over candy in our household(well my parents household…my hubby wouldn’t touch those…fine by me!)…the Almond Joy…in quick bread form. This is a coconut bread base with chocolate chips and almonds. I would have used milk chocolate but I was out of it thanks to the Daring Bakers Milk Chocolate Caramel Tart. Plus, I like the semisweet better. This is called bread…but in all reality is probably more cake like than bread.
Perhaps as Halloween gets closer more and more candy conversions will be happening on my blog.
Almond Joy Bread
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
¾ cup canola oil
¼ cup melted unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp coconut extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sweetened coconut
½ cup raw almonds, chopped
1 cup chocolate chips
Combine the first 6 ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat ingredients on medium speed for 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, sift and combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Starting with the flour mixture alternate flour, buttermilk, flour, buttermilk and flour…in that order. Mix until just combined, like you would if you were making muffins.
Fold in coconut, chocolate chips and almonds.
Pour into two loaf pans or 8 mini loaf pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350F for 1 hours(minis take only about 10 minutes less).
Remove from oven and place on rack to dry. While cakes are still warm, poke several holes in the top of the cake with a wooden skewers. Drizzle Coconut Glaze(recipe follows) into the holes. Finish glazing cake by taking a pastry brush and brushing on remaining glaze(as much or as little as you would like). When cake is completely cool, drizzle chocolate ganache over cake(I used a piping bag).
Coconut Glaze
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1 TBSP unsalted butter
1 tsp coconut extract
Place ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for about a minute. Turn heat off but leave saucepan on burner. Glaze cake as instructed above.
Chocolate Ganache
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
Place chocolate into a bowl.
Place cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Once cream has boiled pour over chocolate. Let sit for 3 minutes.
Stir with whisk until smooth and glossy.
48 Responses
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September 9th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Oh my gosh, that looks so good! Adding it to my list of things I want to bake someday…
September 9th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
This bread looks like everything I thought it would be and more. Absolutely amazing. I am definitely trying this. I wonder why more people don’t hand out Almond Joys. It really is one of the best Halloween candies. Oh, and I think a picture of you dressed as a fish aquarium would be a good addition to this post.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Oh, my, how much would I enjoy every bite of this?!?
September 9th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
i went trick-or-treating up to my junior year of HS(always in full costume as well). the only reason i didn’t go senior year was becasue my cute boyfriend, ross, needed help with his calculus project, which was due the next day! and almond joy is at the top of my halloween candy favorites list (along with twix and kit-kat). i was quick to give away raisins and good n’ plenty to my mother. i’m sure bread is fabulous…i may have to try it myself!
September 9th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
yum what a perfect looking loaf! i like how the chocolate on top looks kind of spiderweb-y.
September 9th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
That’s no ordinary bread, I tell you! Sounds and looks lovely.
September 10th, 2007 at 1:35 am
I’m with you on your passion for candy…and I’m not too much of a sharer as well when it comes to them
…the bread/cake looks gorgeous with all those wonderful things in them.
September 10th, 2007 at 2:59 am
almond bread , yeah! This looks so sinful glazed with chocolate like that. Drinking coffee right now and wanting a piece of that bread!
September 10th, 2007 at 3:56 am
I LOVE Almond Joys! My God you just keep making stuff that I adore.. damn you! (but in a good way) I’ve been craving coconut like crazy lately.. and what’s better with coconut than chocolate? Nothing I tell you – NOTHING!
As per usual.. you have me drooling over my morning coffee… *sigh*
xoxo
September 10th, 2007 at 4:58 am
Such a good idea for a quick bread, yum!
I miss not going trick-or-treating — costumes and candy? Too much fun. My stepson is at an age (12) where I have to talk him into doing it; if only he knew how he’ll long for those times when he’s an adult!
September 10th, 2007 at 5:24 am
Why is it I can see you hiding chocolates in a plant? hehehe
Yes, we too are starting to ramp up for Halloween here, though we have a birthday or two in between (and thanksgiving), costumes are already being discussed.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:41 am
This is unbelievable! You must be staying up nights to come up with this one. I mean Almond Joy! Bring those babies on.
The reason you didn’t find many of those in your pillow case is just the reason you gave. If I buy what we don’t like the day before Halloween, we have it to pass out. If I buy what we like (Almond Joy) we have little of it left and pass out the other stuff first before resorting to the good stuff. Oh my goodness, what badness in my thinking.
Really Peabody, I think this is beyond fantastic.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:01 am
You could have had my almond joy, those weren’t my favourite. I did have to fight Dad for Caramilk and Mars bars though. And I don’t think we’ve had anyone in the last 8 or 9 years, but we still buy the candy…
September 10th, 2007 at 8:00 am
This looks fabulous! I love Almond Joys–what a great idea for a Halloween treat!
September 10th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Halloween is on of my favorite holidays – maybe it’s because of the candy!! We had 1 trick-or-treater show up last year – we had a ton of candy left over!! I LOVE almond joy. This bread/cake looks so good!!!
September 10th, 2007 at 10:16 am
That is one bewitching Halloween treat! I’d take this over candy any day!
September 10th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I love Almond Joys and Mounds bars, alaI am the only one in the house…Oh wait! That is actually a good thing: more for me (grin)! hehehe!! I am laughing because B. just ask me to please put Snickers in a cake!! I’ll make this just for me, nah! Gorgeous!
September 10th, 2007 at 11:30 am
A 7-Up can… I LOVE it!. (My best costume was a MasterCard Gold Card my sophomore year in college, where we traded candy for cheap beer. What were we thinking?!?)
Gorgeous cake-bread. I’m not the almond joy fan you are, but I’m dying to try this take on the classic.
September 10th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Have mercy, Peabody, you’ve done it again! I didn’t like Almond Joy/Mounds till I got older, now I LOVE them! I love that they are dark chocolate, it really brings out the coconutty flavor.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
*drool*. This must be so good for anytime of the day!
September 10th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Ah, October, where I get Halloween and Sharks opening night in one month (opening night is only 33 days away not that I’m counting….)
This looks so yummy, I may have to try it!
September 10th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
I definitely stock up on the Halloween candy I don’t eat, which includes anything with peanut butter. I hope the kids (of all ages) who come to our house love Reese’s Pieces — the leftovers could stay in my house forever, and I’d never eat them. But M&Ms or red licorice, well, that’s another story.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Love the name of this bread! Sure will love the taste, too.
September 10th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
My dad would love this – Almond Joys are one of the few things he can have as someone allergic to milk!
September 10th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
We don’t have almond joys or halloween here
but that doesn’t mean I can’t live vicariously through your posts and this gorgeous-lookin’ cake!
September 10th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
That looks great! I like the gooey chunks of chocolate inside.
September 10th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Oh you ARE evil…Love the Mounds and Almond Joy…will now HAVE to make this bread, especially once I saw it sliced…evil, evil, evil…JOY!
September 11th, 2007 at 6:20 am
My husband is a coconut freak and I think he would love this!
September 11th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Uh…Heaven in a Pan? I LOVE Almond Joy. Love, love, love them. Ergo, I do not purchase them. EVER. I wouldn’t be able to stop at just 6 of the lovely little things.
But I less than heart Halloween. And you DO share each time you post one of your baked gifts. *sigh*
September 11th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Ummm, we’re not sposed to be trick or treatin’ anymore???!!!
NOW you tell me!!!
I heart your post and Halloweeny!
September 11th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Dear Peabody,
First of all, that looks DELICIOUS, as does everything else you post here!
, please shoot me an email!
I just wanted to come by and tell you that I have been a faithful reader of your blog for about a year. I absolutely LOVE IT! I love baking and every time I see your posts my love for baking only intensifies. I wish I could have a blog like yours! Unfortunately, I just started my freshman year in college, which meant saying goodbye to the kitchen I have heavily cooked and baked in for the past few years and reverting to the “joys” of the cafeteria.
Anyways, I love your posts and all your recipes and I’m certainly saving a lot of them so that I can try them once I get home for vacations. My “To Bake” lists are getting a little bit out of hand.
Anyways, thank you for sharing all your recipes and stories! If you ever need someone to taste-test
Take care,
Merav, a loyal fan (I’d like to think I’m one of your exclusive few teenage fans?)
September 12th, 2007 at 7:14 am
Marvelous post. Snaps on your creative costumes. I think my personal best was a tube of Crest. Your bread looks wonderful! I need to send this recipe to my sister who is a total Almond Joy addict. We used to fight over them on Halloween.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Yummy yummy bread Peabody. My little one looks forward to Halloween almost as much as Christmas. I get to go out trick or treating again and I have to help her devour her haul, it would be irresponsible of me to let her eat all those sweets…
September 12th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I trick or treated til I was 24! shhhhhhhh! I would FIND kids to go around with, usually my friends children. I still have a costume every year.
And Mounds are my favorite too, and my husband won’t touch them! They are ALL mine!
September 12th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Wow! Almond Joy Bread? How could this not be absolutely 100% delicious?! What a great idea.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
oh my does that look good! my mouth is drooling…
September 13th, 2007 at 5:21 am
I need a spoon to eat up that topping!
September 13th, 2007 at 6:22 am
I’m so excited!
I’m so excited!
I’m so excited!
I’m so excited!
About hockey but especially about this bread. I adore Almond Joy! Must try this one!
September 13th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Oh my! I don’t think we have Almond Joy here in Canada. You know your advertising campaign has hit the masses though when I remember their commercials. “Sometimes you feel like a nut and sometimes you don’t”. Nevertheless the cake sounds delicious. I love the chocolate drizzle on top. Mmmm.
September 13th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Have you ever made the almond joy or mounds cake. I had never had it until I moved to West Tx and married my husband. If you’ve never had it, it is sinfully delicious and I could send you the recipe. It is not hard to make or time consuming and much like your bread, is not a cake with just chopped up candy in it. I absolutely love Almond Joy and the cake is my second favorite, Tx Chocolate Sheet cake being number 1. Let me know if you’d like the recipe.
September 13th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Oh, but we do get them in Canada… in miniature.
I know this only because I am the only one who will eat them from my dear daughter’s hard earned, pillowcase haul. Lucky me!
And lucky for this; thank you. I see it in my future – and me eating the whole thing!
September 13th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
One of my favorite candy bars! You’ve done it again Pea!
September 16th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Almond Joy was my favorite too! This bread looks amazing. I definitely will bake it, and maybe I’ll do as a special treat for Halloween. Thank you!
September 17th, 2007 at 9:04 am
[...] Check out Peabody’s recipe and photos: Almond Joy Bread [...]
September 17th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
You’ve outdone yourself here…yum! I love, love, love…did I say love….Almond Joys!
November 15th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Well, I absolutely know that I have to make this bread it looks amazing.
February 20th, 2008 at 5:40 am
The pictures look absolutely amazing and better yet, it tastes awesome too…I love almond joy and mounds and now I’ve found the perfect cake version.
Made this today and I already ate one loaf all on my own! Thank you for sharing such wonderful treats.
December 11th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
OMG I canNOT wait to try this!!