Dark and Crunchy Delights: 11 Chocolate and Almond Recipes

Courtesy of Gale Gand from her cookbook, Chocolate and Vanilla, this light buttermilk chocolate cake is baked on a bed of butter, sugar, and toasted almonds, creating a soaked-in caramel coating when removed from the pan.

Recipe: Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake

There's no need to spend a lot of money on fancy chocolate when it's so easy to make this deliciously rich dark chocolate bark at home.

Recipe: Dark Chocolate Bark with Roasted Almonds and Seeds

Sacher torte is a classic Austrian chocolate cake layered with apricot preserves. Lidia Bastianich's version uses the preserves three ways: for moistening the cake layers, as a thick filling between the layers, and as a glaze to seal the cake before covering it in chocolate. The cake is moist and luscious on its own, but it's also delicious served the traditional way, with unsweetened whipped cream.

Recipe: Sacher Torte

This crunchy-sweet treat is perfect for Passover — and so good, you'll crave it all year!

Recipe: Matzo Toffee

Inspired by her grandmother, who used up bread "until the dear end," Italian master Lidia Bastianich of NYC's Felidia turns leftover loaves into creamy, nutty parfaits.

Recipe: Chocolate-Bread Parfaits

These sandwich cookies get plenty of rich chocolate flavor from cocoa powder and an intense ganache filling.

Recipe: Chocolate Macarons

Decadent chocolate ganache is balanced by a lightly savory almond crust and a pinch of sea salt for garnish.

Recipe: Ganache Tart with Salted-Almond Crust

Rich and elegant, but made with only five ingredients, no one will ever suspect how simple this luscious chocolate torte is to make.

Recipe: Chocolate-Almond Torte

For a sweet finish on date night, try this easy, chilled chocolate tart created by Giada De Laurentiis.

Recipe: Chocolate Honey Almond Tarts

The combination of crunchy toasted almonds and chewy sweet-tart cherries covered in rich dark chocolate is about as close to the definition of "pure pleasure" as you can possibly get. Close your eyes as you eat one for the maximum effect.

Recipe: Cherry-Almond-Chocolate Clusters

Whole almonds toasted and covered in a rich, chocolaty glaze are the perfectly sweet treat at any time of day.

Recipe: Crackly Chocolate Almonds