MOUNDS BITS (ALMOND JOY) CANDY BARS

Here's a homemade recipe for the yummy coconut candy bar. This sounds complicated but it's not. You can use milk chocolate for the semi-sweet.

2 C. granulated sugar
1 C. light corn syrup
1/2 C. water
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ pkgs. (14 oz. per package) flaked coconut
2 T. flour
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips (it may take more chips than this--or you could use dipping chocolate)
almonds, toasted (optional)

In a large heavy pan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water and bring to a boil. Cook two degrees less then softball stage . Remove from the heat and cool until syrup is just warm* (you will be molding these with your hands so it can be warm only, not hot).

Stir in the almond extract, flour and coconut (in that order). Mold by teaspoonfuls into flat-ish balls, not too big. (They are rich; you don't want very big candies.)

Place on a cookie sheet sprayed heavily with Pam. Place a whole almond on top of each if desired. Allow to set at room temperature several hours or overnight. (If they are too sticky to work with, with let them sit a day or two more until they dry out enough to handle)

Melt chocolate chips or dipping chocolate in microwave for three to four minutes on half power, stir after every minute. Coat candies with melted chocolate—this is messy, I tried dipping them and lost them in the chocolate. I finally just held each one and coated it with chocolate with a spoon.

*If you cannot make the rest of this recipe right now and your syrup gets cold simply put the pan back on the heat, low temperature, and warm, stirring now and then until it is at a workable temperature. I have even made the syrup two days early and then finished the recipe later.