For as long as I can remember I’ve tried to watch my salt intake. I never add it to my meals, and even the slightest amount makes me feel like a swollen slug. I have to drink at least 100oz of water just to combat the tiniest intake of salt. Blech.
While I don’t use salt much in my cooking, I always use it in my baking. The amount of salt in most baked goods is less than a teaspoon, but that small pinch is powerful. When I was in high school I took a food science class, and little did I know one very small piece of information (& then some) I learned would stick with me all these years.
Salt is known to enhance, and awaken the flavors combined in baked goods. It creates a balance that make your treats that much sweeter. For this reason alone, I never skimp on the salt when I bake/create sweets…it’s a staple in all my recipes. Chocolate and salt are commonly paired together, and this is simply because they just mesh..really well.
I’ve always been a sucker for the chocolate, almond, and salt combo. When I worked at Trader Joe’s I would often sneak into the back room to see if any chocolate salted almonds were open and I would grab a handful (or five) to give me an extra boost around noon.
You can imagine my excitement when I saw this recipe on Amanda’s blog, the second recipe from her blog that I just had to make. These truffle bites looked perfect, but they were missing one thing…salt! I also used gluten free pretzels instead of wheat.
Chocolate Salted Almond Butter Bites
- 1 cup crushed gluten free pretzels
- 1/2 cup creamy almond butter
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1/3 cup semi sweet vegan chocolate chips
- Sea salt
Directions
- Line a baking sheet or pan with wax paper and set aside.
- Pour your pretzels into a high speed blender, or food processor and pulse until you get a meal like consistency. Do this until you have enough “powdered” pretzels to make 1 cup.
- Once pretzels are crushed, pour them into a medium sized mixing bowl and add in your almond butter, and honey. Mix until fully combined. Once combined place your bowl into the freeze to set for about 10 minutes.
- After the mixture sets, form dough into small ball bites, this should make about 12 total. Place your bites onto your wax paper lined pan, and put back into the freezer to set for another 10 minutes.
- While you’re waiting for the bites to firm, melt your chocolate chips using a double boiler, or a microwave. I don’t own a microwave so a double boiler is what I use.
- Dip each bite into the melted chocolate and roll around with a fork to ensure each side is coated, remove and place onto the wax paper.
- After each bite is coated, immediately sprinkle sea salt on top before the chocolate sets.
- Place back into the freezer and let set for as long as you can refrain from eating. At least 15 minutes.
The most common comment I got about these: “Wow, I love the salt on top..it goes really well with the chocolate.” Booya. Salted chocolate paradise.
Q: Do you use salt in your baking/treat making?
Blissfulbritt 
56 thoughts on “Chocolate Salted Almond Butter Bites”
kathy@vodka and soda
i’m a dummy in the kitchen so if the recipe calls for 1/2tsp or whatever of salt, i put in that exact amount. i don’t eat salt in regular food either and i can totally tell when they’ve added it to food. yuck.
Brittany
Me too, which is why I rarely eat anywhere but my kitchen. I have NO time to look like a bloated whale. NO TIME!
jessiebearwhat
eiuwhferhlaw the salt just takes these to the next levellll
Amalia
I never ever realized how important salt was until I was baking with a good family friend and she was all like “Amalia, how can you skip the salt! You can’t ever bake in this kitchen again unless you commit to the salt” – so then I learned what you just told me and it CHANGED MY BAKING LIFE. These look amazing!
The Zen Kat
I’m the same way about my salt intake. The smallest bit sends me to the sink like a fish. These look delicious! The sweet and salty combo is so good!
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
Oh I am so with you about salt in baked goods…and oatmeal for that better! Although yesterday I got a bit too salt-happy and ending up throwing out a batch of banana bread because it tasted too salty! It’s a shame I misread the recipe as the texture was perfect- uff! These look amazeballs…peace out Reese’s!!
Brittany
SAD DAY when something has to go in the trash, that’s when you know it’s really bad. I try my damnedest to still eat kitchen failures, but sometimes you just can’t. HA.
Diane @ Life of Di.
I typically don’t add salt to anything either. A little really does go a long way and is overwhelming. Marty and I shared a bag of popcorn at the movie theater last month – no butter and we didn’t add anymore salt than what was already on it to begin with; however, I felt like I couldn’t satisfy my thirst for the rest of the day. It was awful. The next morning I woke up and my skin felt drier than normal too. I really did feel like a slug reacting to salt 😀
Anyways, I think these almond butter bites look delicious! I’m interested in trying the recipe!!
Brittany
OHhh my gosh, I cannot eat movie theater popcorn. I regret it every time.
sincerelylily
these are sooo fancy looking! salt is def good on sweet treats- i recently discovered last summer salted caramel and was like ‘whaaat is thissss’
I like to sprinkle salt on my watermelon, let it soak in for a few minutes, and then eat the fruit. it totally enhances all the goody watermelon flavors!
these look divine. crushed pretzels…. and almond butter… yes.
Change of Pace
Love that you used crushed pretzels- brilliant! And the salt on top looks gorgeous!
I’m not a big salt person either, but I have been upping it in my baking.
Interesting you took a food sciences class- and awesome at least one lesson stuck with you!
littleblissbook
OMG trying these ASAP! And yep I always use salt in my baking. Used them in my crepes today and brought out the sweetness 🙂
Miss Polkadot
It’s funny how I’m the complete opposite: Don’t ever take my salt away from me! Granted, I should probably watch it at some point to prevent any future damage [too much of ‘living in the present’ might not be a good thing here]. But for now I’m so used to it I just need my – heavy-handed at times – sprinkle of salt.
Even though I didn’t know the science behind it at first I’ve been adding salt since the first time I ever baked. In the beginning just because I was diligent about following recipes to a t [yes, ‘t[sp], not ‘T’!] in fear of messing them up elsewise. And after I understood it’s flavour enhancing powers I’ve been making even better use of it. Oats cooked without salt? No way.
Salt talk aside: These bites look irresistible. How could anything containing almond butter, chocolate and salt not?!
katalysthealth
yessssssss
These literally look perfect. I actually had a toffee salted chocolate bar the other day that BLEW my mind. Salt seriously makes everything so much better!!
Natalie @The Ravenous Mommy
Hi Brit, It’s Natalie from Will Jog for Food. Been gone a while and started a new blog 🙂
Those look great!!! I love to use salt and it is very necesary. I forgot some in ice cream once and you could really tell the difference, desserts without salt are bland
Davida @The Healthy Maven
I’m a bit of a salt freak. I add it to everything, but I prefer natural sea salt which I claim to be good for you…along with dark chocolate and wine 😉
Rach @ This Italian Family
These look great! I don’t use much salt in my cooking (mostly because Christopher is notorious for adding salt to whatever I make regardless of whether or not it’s already salted. So I don’t pre-salt it, haha!). But I do use salt when baking. It’s just not the same without it! These look delicious!
The Vegan 8
OMG I can only imagine how amazing these taste!! I absolutely love salty and chocolate together. I think the sea salt on everything has gone a little nutso lately, people putting flaked salt on ice cream, cookies, everything. But THESE little chocolates are perfect. I made some peanut butter cups with salt sprinkled on top and my mother-n-law said she hated the salt. Weirdo. Come on now. I totally agree that baking as well needs salt, I saw a delicious pancake recipe the other day and she raved and raved how good her recipe was, but there was NO salt in the recipe. I looked at every ingredient and I’m sorry, but you cannot taste the full effect of a recipe, ESPECIALLY baked without some salt. Even in ice cream, it makes such a difference. I’ve done it both ways, and it makes a difference. These look incredible girl!!! Salivating!
P
This looks so good!!!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
There was a time I avoided salt like the plague, but I suffer from pretty low blood pressure so my doctor recommended adding more salt to my diet to avoid getting lightheaded and tired, and lo and behold… it actually worked 😆 Our bodies need salt, and so do our baked goods 😀
cleaneatingveggiegirl
Holy crap. Yes, please!! 🙂 Sweet/salty is the best!
Lauren
These sound DELICIOUS. However, in the second and third picture, all I see is a penis, hahaha!!! (dirty mind??) But, are you with me on this!?
Brittany
HAHA OMG. I SEE IT!
Amy
I love chocolate + salt! Especially the sea salt dark chocolate bars or salted dark chocolate cookies… SO good. I usually tend to skimp on salt in cooking too — I’d much rather have lots of spice from cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning! — but it’s almost always in my baked goodies. You know those truffles look right up my alley — please eat one for me!! 😉
Amy @ A Desert Girl
I never add salt to my cooking. But it is awesome and important in baking goods! And salt + chocolate = dynamite combo!!
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch
salt makes sweet treats 10x better! I’m one of those weirdos who thinks almond butter isn’t very good but I think the pretzels + honey would give these little guys great flavor!!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
Salt is good for veggies too for the very same reason: it awakens the flavors. Yum.
I made these too, and I used gluten free pretzels because they were all my store had at the time, peanut butter, and of course salt. Salt and chocolate go together better than Bert & Ernie and those two are pretty perfect together.
They were delicious.
Nicole Marie Story
I want to eat these right from my computer screen!!
And those Trader Joe’s salted chocolate almonds? My ex man friend forced me to have them after sex. Well, I pretended like it was force. But OMG it really wasn’t. 🙂
Brittany
Those TJ’s almonds are ALMOST better than sex. Yeah…I said it. Combine the two and I think I may just combust. You can figure out what I mean by that. HAHAHA.
Britta
And she’s done it again! Seriously, you make the best things!!! YUM! I love sweets with salt on them – sea salt caramels are by FAR my favourite chocolates ever! Delicious. I am also calling you my Sweet Treat Goddess!
apartmentwife
brittany! did you know that i almost always leave out salt? i figured that 2 tspns coudn’t actually make a difference– now i know, right?
Brittany
It’s OK! I used to leave it out too, thinking I was bettering myself. It’s such a small amount that now I don’t even think twice, GET IN THERE SALT! Now you know! 🙂
jessielovestorun
Well now I know to never leave out salt again! Guess you learn something new everyday, huh? 🙂
Brittany
😉
Choc Chip Uru
What addictive little bites 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Meredith
I am so excited to make these!!! Thanks for sharing! Your Instagram picture had me from the second I saw it! I typically don’t use salt but I am ALL about sea salt in baking!!
Meghan
um yeah i’m going to need to you either a) mass produce your shit and make it mail able, or B) quit it! So delicious! i love how creative you are in the kitchen, especially baking! and good for you for not doing the salt thing. i love salt, in small amounts, because i’m a really salty sweater. that’s how i validate things like #allthefries and #allthechips haha!
Brittany
HAHA I went for a 9 miler on Sunday, and when my mom picked me up I was like, “LOOK AT MY FACE!” I had dried salt aaalllll over it. I always sweat nasty saltiness. #ALLTHEFRIESISRIGHT!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
Mass produce Brit’s shit????????????????????
Brittany
Thanks to nearly an entire can of beans in one sitting, I’ve been producing mass amounts of shit for the past three days.
GiGi Eats Celebrities
Lucky Bitch!
Meghan
BAHAHA well naturally it’d probably be wonderful, right? ahhhh hahahahaha
brickhousechick
YO QUIERO MUCHOS!!!!
Food, Booze, & Baggage
These look YUMMY!! I love salted chocolate/caramel anything! One of my favorite cookies of all time is Joy the Baker’s Smoked Sea Salt, Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Cookies.
Ashley
I make most of the food I eat, so I always add a little Himalayan pink salt just to amp up the flavor, but when I eat restaurant food, I can always tell when they’ve put in too much salt and it’s just bleh.
But sweets+salt is the perfect combo! I need to find GF pretzels so I can try these bites out!
Brittany
I used Glutino’s pretzels, I love them!
Olive To Run (@Olivetorun)
These look DELICIOUS!! I will be sharing these!
Brittany
BOOYA, thanks suga! ❤
Melanie
Wow, those look phenomenal and I love how simple they are! Yum. I love salt and chocolate together too….heavenly!
GiGi Eats Celebrities
OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG!! YOUUUUU ARE IN MY FUC*IN’ BRAIN!!! GET OUT DAMMIT! GET OUT!!!!!!
I seriously was BAKING THE DONUTS AND I WAS LIKE WTF IS THE POINT OF THIS FUC*ING SALT!!! It’s just ANOTHER STUPID ADDED INGREDIENT, GOOD GOD MANNNNNN!!!! But now… I KNOW WHY! Because you’re a FOOD SCIENTIST!!!! Brainiac!!
Brittany
BOOM. I just rocked your world.
Sarah @ Feeeding the Brain and Body
I sure do use salt in my baking…unless I forget of course. I can always tell the difference! I love chocolate with salt … it makes the perfect pair! Ever since I was young I would get crazy salt cravings. As a kid I would put salt on everything. I try to be careful because still I could eat a whole jar of pickles without feeling over salted (that can’t be a proper term, but whatever)! I will definitely be trying this recipe out!
Nicole @ FruitnFitness
Amanda’s recipies always look so good! I love adding salt to baked goods, and smoothies! Salt in a cherry coconut smoothie is wonderful!! I have really low blood pressure and my doctor typically tells me to eat more salt so I usually don’t worry about my salt intake.
Luv What You Do
My mouth is watering with all of these recipes this week. I love me some chocolate and PB combinations!
Life After Swimming
Can you come back to the east coast, load up my fridge and cabinets, and then stay forever? THANKS.
Elizabeth
I just want to dirty things with these bites. yum. like out of this world yum. you’re a genius.