Last updated 4 months ago | Originally Published: September 20, 2021

Learn Everything About Almond Joy Candy Bars

America’s love and passion for Almond Joy Candy Bars isn’t something new. Indeed, this love story dates back several decades! 

Furthermore, these candy bars are among the top-selling chocolate bars in America and have been for years! 

In this article, we’ll explore America’s love for Almond Joys by discussing its history, ingredients, taste, popularity, and what makes this particular candy bar so special. 

Plus, we have a homemade DIY recipe where almonds, coconut, and chocolate all come together to create one of America’s most delicious snacks.

History of Almond Joy

The Almond Joy Candy Bar was first introduced to the market back in 1946. However, this sweet journey started way back in 1919. 

As the story goes, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, many people from Armenia immigrated to the US. Most of it had to do with the political situation in Armenia. 

At the same time, moving to a new place is always tricky; however, these hardworking immigrants knew that if they wanted to succeed, they had to quickly settle in and look for ways to provide for their families. 

One of those families was the Halajian family. Peter Paul Halajian was an Armenian immigrant who founded the Connecticut-based popular candy manufacturing company, Peter Paul Candy!

Peter Halajian used to go from door to door to sell his company’s products. One of which was the Mounds candy bar. It was the most popular candy bar offered by his company. 

In fact, he sold his candy bars door-to-door until the end of WWII. At this time, the demand for production was at an all-time high and Peter Paul knew that he had to capitalize on the increasing demands of chocolate! 

As a result of Peter’s ambition, he introduced a new product which came to be known as the Almond Joy Candy Bar. It was very similar to the Mounds, except for now it comes with almonds! Brilliant! People loved it, and the Almond Joy candy bar became an instant success!

The Rise To International Recognition

You can judge the success of Peter Paul Candy Co. by the fact that its products were famous across the pond as well. 

That’s right; in 1978 the company merged with UK-based Cadbury-Schweppes. This further expanded the company’s horizon of success. 

As you’d expect, the merger facilitated the entry of Almond Joy candy bars in European markets. 10 years later, Hershey’s purchased the production rights for Almond Joy, Mounds, York Peppermint Patties, and other chocolate products in the United States. 

Until this day, Hershey’s holds tight to its production rights! But then again, we’re talking about a multi-billion dollar recipe here, they better hold on tight!  

Why Are Almond Joy Candy Bars So Popular

First, the popularity of Almond Joy isn’t something newfound. Second, its been around for a long time; therefore, there are many factors that have led to such fame, status, and recognition. 

For starters, the taste of an Almond Joy is so delicious it’ll leave you speechless! Not to mention, Peter’s invention was something quite unique for its time! 

People were already in love with Mounds; however, consumers went nuts when Peter added Almonds! 

Until this day, the demand is just as high as it was back then, even more so considering that the population has doubled since those good ‘ole days! 

The Company’s Marketing Campaigns Were Absolutely Brilliant

Peter Paul was a very creative and imaginative person. This was quite apparent as he started a successful company just years after immigrating to a new country. 

Luckily, the company has been fortunate to have good management who followed in the footsteps of the founder. One of the most famous advertising campaigns run by the company was in the 1970s. 

Peter Paul Candy Co. listed the help of two American songwriters, Leon Carr and Leo Corday, to come up with a catchy advertisement jingle for Mounds and Almond Joy. 

As you may remember the tune, “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” The jingle was sung by Joey Levine and became extremely popular, skyrocketing the sales of both candy bars! 

Since then, Almond Joys sell itself with next to no advertisements needed. Like we said before, brilliant. 

What Did the Almond Joy Jingle Represent?

The jingle was a direct representation of both popular candy bars manufactured by the company. 

‘Sometimes you feel like a nut,’ symbolizes that sometimes you may crave Almond Joy. ‘Sometimes you don’t,’ indicates your desire for a Mounds. 

By doing this, the company actually pitched both of its products against each other! In fact, modern marketing experts all agree, this was one of the most brilliant advertisement strategies ever performed, and we couldn’t agree more!  

Almond Joy Varieties 

For several years, the Almond Joy only came one way, nothing less, nothing more! Once Hershey took over, they quickly saw the need to innovate! 

Thankfully, they didn’t change the original recipe, although they did create several new flavors and variants of the original candy bar, as you’ll see below…

Flavors of Almond Joy

• Milk Chocolate Almond Joy
• Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit Almond Joy 
• White Chocolate Key Lime 
• Toasted Coconut Almond Joy 
• Piña Colada Almond Joy
• Double Chocolate Almond Joy 

Other Candies Related To Almond Joy

• Almond Joy Eggs 
• Almond Joy Snack Mix – As clear from the name, this is a mix of pretzels, almonds, and milk chocolate coconut bites.
• Talenti’s Almond Joy flavored gelato
• Almond Joy Pieces
• Almond Joy International Delight Coffee Creamer – For Coffee Lovers!
• Dunkin Donuts’ Almond Joy flavored Ice Coffee. 

Hershey’s has been making almond joy for over 30 years now, and over the years, they’ve introduced many different flavors and products. 

Sadly, some of these products and flavors such as Joy Pieces have been discontinued, while others are still being sold. 

Nonetheless, Almond Joy is still a favorite for millions of people, which is why Hershey keeps coming up with new products related to it. 

DIY Homemade Almond Joy Recipes

Nowadays, there isn’t anything you can eat outside that you can’t make yourself at home. Plus, the internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to discovering new DIY recipes! 

That’s right; you can find recipes for almost everything on the internet, including Almond Joy candies and cakes! As you’ll find, there are several different recipes for the same product, so the way you go about it is entirely up to you, but here are our Top 3 Favorites! 

Homemade Recipe for Almond Joy Ice Cream 

Ingredients: 

• 4 to 5 Almond Joy candy bars
• 1 cup whole milk 
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces chocolate syrup 
• 8 ounces flaked coconut 
• 12 ounces slivered almonds 
• 13 ounces sugar 
• 4 cups heavy cream 
• 4 egg whites 
• Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Pre-Freeze Ice-cream Molds: 

Use ice-cream molds for making perfect Almond Joy ice cream. Fill up a baking tray with warm water, just enough to immerse the molds halfway. 

Set on top of another tray or platter that can hold the weight of the filled water tray and ice cream mold. Place in the freezer until ready to fill with ice cream mixture.

Mix Cocoa Powder, Milk, and Salt in Saucepan: 

Heat cocoa powder, sugar, and milk over medium heat until you see the first bubble appear. 

Remove from heat and set aside. You are just warming up the mixture so it will not have a raw taste.

Whisk Egg Yolks in Mixing Bowl: 

Whisk egg yolks together in a mixing bowl until light in color. Pour warm cocoa mixture into the egg yolk mixing bowl slowly while stirring continuously to prevent the eggs from getting cooked by the hot liquid. 

Now, pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan while stirring at low temperature for 30 seconds or more to raise the temperature of ingredients quickly before putting on the stovetop again on very low heat. 

Return to the stovetop and stir with a flat utensil until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix in Sugar, Stir: 

Mix in sugar while constantly stirring until dissolved. Turn off heat but leave on the warm burner as you prepare the cream that will be added next.

Now For the Next Step

In another mixing bowl, whip heavy cream. Use heavy whipped cream without stabilizers or additives, just milk fat. 

You can also use an electric mixer for this step if you wish. Put the cream inside the electric mixer and turn it on to whip until thick enough to form soft peaks. 

Mix in sugar while whipping cream until dissolved completely. Once done, turn off the mixer.

Coconut And Chocolate Mixture: 

Add coconut, vanilla extract, broken down Almond Joy chunks, and chocolate syrup mixture (that you mixed earlier) into the bowl with whipped heavy cream and mix thoroughly for 1 minute or more using a clean spatula or wooden spoon. 

Spoon into prepared molds about 3/4 full, then sprinkle nuts on top of ice cream before filling up to the top of mold with remaining mixture. 

Freeze molds in a freezer until hard all the way through before unmolding. Wait for around 15 minutes and take the mold out of the freezer, and voila! Your Almond Joy ice cream is ready!

Easy To Make Almond Joy Cookies – Homemade

Do you have a craving for something sweet but just can’t figure out what it is? It might be time to try making Homemade Almond Joy Cookies! Not only are they easy to make, but they only need four ingredients, and the best part is that they taste delicious!

Ingredients

Homemade Almond Joy Cookies are so simple to prepare. All you need is salted almonds, sweetened coconut flakes, condensed milk, and chocolate chips. 

Of course, you can add other ingredients like sugar and chunks from the Almond Joy candy bar to make the cookie taste better!

Directions:

Preheat the oven and place parchment paper in it. This parchment paper will act as a baking sheet for your cookies. 

First, mix all the ingredients mentioned above in a bowl. Next, stir until all the ingredients are completely mixed. 

Next, pour the mixture into a specific mold. You can shape them as you like. Once done, place them onto the already prepared parchment paper. Bake for around 12 to 15 minutes or when you think the cookies are starting to turn brown. 

Once done, carefully take out the cookies, let them cool down for a bit, and then enjoy these Almond joy cookies with your family! Make sure you save some in an airtight container for the next time you have a craving for some awesome Almond Joy Cookies! 

Almond Joy Cupcakes Ingredients and Recipe

Cupcakes Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites, at room temperature (leave egg yolks in the bowl of iced water)
• 3/4 cup milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, mixed in measuring cup or small bowl
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (do not use salted butter)
• 1 cup sugar – extra for coating the pan with sugar before adding batter to each liner.

Filling Ingredients: 

• Use chopped almonds; some people use pecans. 
• 2 tbsp. butter or margarine
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate bites (use chunks of Almond Joy candy bar)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat muffin tins with cooking spray. Sift together all dry ingredients into a medium bowl and set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy w/ electric mixer on medium speed. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and combine well (scraping downsides of the mixing bowl as needed). 

Add dry ingredients in 3 parts alternating w/ milk mixture in two additions (beginning and ending w/ dry ingredients). Beat the batter well after each addition until smooth; beat egg whites until stiff and gently fold into batter. 

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. About 3 1/2 Tbsp. each. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then coat tops w/ cooking spray or sugar before removing from pan to cooling rack.

Frosting Directions:

Beat shortening, butter, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together at high speed for a couple of minutes. 

Add vanilla extract and half of the milk and beat again at high speed till light and fluffy for about five more minutes. 

Add remaining milk if necessary to reach desired frosting consistency. For best results, refrigerate frosting 10 – 15 minutes before using as it will thicken up.

Place cooled cupcakes on a cooling rack. Pipe filling into the center of each cupcake (enough to cover the surface). 

Then add the frosting overfilled cupcakes, swirling at the top to make it look nice. Top each with one whole almond candy or two tiny almond slivers. 

Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Consume within 3-4 days for best taste.

Where Can I Get Almond Joy Online

In this day and age, you can have just about anything delivered to your doorstep, including Almond Joy candy bars! 
Luckily for you, you’re already at one of America’s largest online candy stores in America! As a benefit, all you have to do is click here, and we’ll redirect you to our Almond Joy product page where you can make all the magic happen! Or, you can get more active and represent your favorite candy bar by checking out our post on America’s #1 candy brands and sounding off in the comment section! We’d love to hear from you!