🍫 November 7 – Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day: A Little Nutty, A Little Dark, and Totally Delicious 😏🌰
Let’s be honest: Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day sounds like the result of a compromise between a chocoholic and a health nut… and honestly? It works. This oddly specific food holiday is like the brooding, crunchy rom-com character of the dessert world. It’s got a dark side (hello, bittersweet), but it's also totally nuts—in the best way.
No one's quite sure who invented this holiday (or why they were so specific—milk chocolate with cashews clearly did notmake the cut), but it’s been quietly sneaking onto calendars and into snack drawers for years. And we are so here for it.
Affiliate Disclosure
Just so you know, this post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click through and buy something, I might earn a tiny commission—enough to keep the lights on and maybe snag a celebratory cupcake. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, pinky promise.
So, in honor of this dark, nutty duo, let’s get snacky, crafty, and maybe even a little philosophical about chocolate today. Here’s how to celebrate in quirky, delightful style:
🍫 10+ Ways to Go Nuts (and Dark) for Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day:
DIY Gourmet Bark Night
Melt down some bittersweet chocolate, toss in roasted almonds, sea salt, chili flakes, dried cherries—whatever your weird little heart desires—and break it up like edible art. Perfect for gifting or, you know, not sharing.Host a Bittersweet Tasting Party
Invite your fellow dark chocolate devotees and do a blind taste test of various bittersweet bars with almonds. Add wine or espresso for bonus fanciness. Pretend you're food critics. Use words like "unctuous."Almond Appreciation Moment
Take a minute to thank almonds for being the underappreciated MVP of the nut world. Bonus points if you write them a haiku.Chocolate-Covered Almond Relay Race
You heard me. Teams. Spoons. Almonds. Chocolate. Chaos. Optional prizes: more chocolate.Bittersweet Movie Marathon
Queue up movies that are a little dark, a little sweet—like Eternal Sunshine, Amélie, The Royal Tenenbaums. Snack on chocolate almonds while emotionally spiraling.Try It on Everything
Chocolate almond spread on toast? Yes. Stirred into oatmeal? Absolutely. Melted over popcorn? You’re living the dream. Trust your gut (unless it’s lactose intolerant).Make Almond Art
Glue almonds to a canvas and drizzle it with chocolate. Is it art? Is it a snack? Is it both? Who’s to say?Write a Bittersweet Love Letter
To your favorite snack. Or your ex. Or your ex-snack. Keep it dramatic. End with: “I’ll never forget the crunch.”Create a Signature Bittersweet Almond Cocktail
Think chocolate liqueur, amaretto, a splash of espresso. Rim the glass with crushed almonds and sugar. Garnish with mysterious eye contact.Plant an Almond Tree
Long-term investment. But hey, one day you could be eating bittersweet chocolate-covered almonds from your own backyard. You’ll be insufferable in the best way.Chocolate-Covered Almond Costume
Dress like your favorite snack. Bonus points if you convince someone else to go as “bittersweet feelings.”
🍽️ Dinner Theme: A Cozy Fireside Feast with Bittersweet Elegance
Think: candlelight, moody jazz, a warm sweater, and food that feels like a hug.
🍝 Entrée: Cocoa-Dusted Mushroom & Almond Ragù Over Creamy Polenta
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, trust the process)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry red wine (or veggie broth)
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
Salt + pepper to taste
Fresh thyme for garnish
Polenta Base:
1 cup cornmeal
4 cups water or milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions:
Make the polenta: Simmer cornmeal in water, stirring often until thick and creamy (about 30 mins). Stir in Parmesan, salt & pepper.
For the ragù: Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until browned.
Stir in tomato paste, cocoa powder, smoked paprika. Deglaze with red wine. Simmer until thickened.
Fold in almonds for crunch.
Serve ragù over creamy polenta. Garnish with thyme.
📝 Why it works: The cocoa adds depth without making it taste like dessert. It’s moody, umami-packed, and just a little fancy.
🥗 Side: Roasted Beet & Almond Salad with Bittersweet Chocolate Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
Roasted beets, sliced
Arugula or baby spinach
Crumbled goat cheese
Toasted sliced almonds
Bittersweet chocolate vinaigrette (see below)
Bittersweet Chocolate Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp grated bittersweet chocolate (70%+)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch of salt
Instructions:
Whisk vinaigrette ingredients until emulsified. Toss salad just before serving.
📝 Vibe check: Earthy, tangy, nutty, and that tiny hint of dark chocolate makes it feel indulgent without being cloying.
🍸 Drink: Almond Mocha Old-Fashioned (or Mocktail Version)
Cocktail Version:
2 oz bourbon
1/2 oz coffee liqueur (or cold brew concentrate)
1/4 oz almond syrup (or amaretto for a bolder hit)
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Orange peel for garnish
Mocktail Version:
2 oz cold brew
1 oz almond syrup
2 dashes chocolate bitters (alcohol-free)
Top with a splash of soda water or tonic
Orange peel twist
📝 Sip slow. It’s cozy, complex, and chocolatey without being sweet.
🍫 Dessert: Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Tart with Sea Salt
Crust:
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Filling:
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream (or coconut cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla
Toasted almonds, flaky salt for topping
Instructions:
Mix crust ingredients, press into a tart pan, bake at 350°F for 10 mins.
Heat cream, pour over chocolate to melt, stir in vanilla.
Pour filling into crust. Chill until set (at least 2 hrs).
Top with toasted almonds and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
📝 It’s like the holiday itself in a slice—bitter, sweet, crunchy, and utterly divine.
🕯 Bonus Serving Idea:
Serve everything on dark wood or black plates with candlelight. Add a square of chocolate at each setting like a moody dinner party favor. Put on a jazz playlist. Pretend you’re hosting a salon in Paris.
🍬 ELEMENTARY ACTIVITY: “The Great Chocolate Conundrum”
🍫 Subject Focus: ELA + Science + SEL
🎯 Grades: 2–5
🕒 Time: 45–60 minutes
💡 Theme: Tasting, Describing, and Debating Bittersweet Chocolate vs. Milk Chocolate
📚 Overview:
Students will taste-test two types of chocolate (bittersweet and milk), learn descriptive language for flavor and texture, and vote on their favorite—but here's the twist! They must write a persuasive paragraph defending the opposite of their true opinion. It’s a quirky way to build empathy, argument writing, and sensory vocabulary!
🧁 Materials:
Small pieces of bittersweet chocolate 🍫
Small pieces of milk chocolate 🍫
Napkins or paper towels
“Chocolate Taste Test” sheet
Pencils or crayons
Chart paper or whiteboard
Optional: almond samples (whole, sliced, or slivered) to discuss texture 🌰
✏️ Activity Steps:
Set the Stage: Briefly explain Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day. Ask: “Have you ever tasted a chocolate that wasn’t super sweet? Why do you think people like different kinds of chocolate?”
Taste Test Time! (5–10 min):
Pass out tiny pieces of each type of chocolate (half a square). Encourage quiet, mindful tasting. Students fill out the taste test sheet.Class Chart: Tally which chocolate was the class favorite on the board. Discuss: “What words did we use to describe each one? Were there strong feelings?”
Writing Twist! (20–25 min):
Students write a persuasive paragraph defending the chocolate they liked less. Prompt:
“Convince me that [bittersweet or milk] chocolate is the better choice, even if you don’t agree!”
This builds argument skills AND empathy!Optional Almond Add-On:
Pass around slivered almonds to feel and observe. Ask: “What happens when we add crunch to chocolate?” (Texture talk!)
🌟 Extension Ideas:
Turn paragraphs into a “Chocolate Debate” and let students read their work aloud.
Make a class “Sweet & Bitter” feelings chart—connect to SEL by discussing emotions that are both good and hard (like the flavor bittersweet!).
🍫 SECONDARY ACTIVITY: “Bittersweet Truths: A Chocolate Ethics Café”
🍫 Subject Focus: ELA + Social Studies + Ethical Reasoning
🎯 Grades: 6–12
🕒 Time: 45–60 minutes
💡 Theme: Ethical Sourcing, Persuasive Writing, and Chocolate as a Metaphor
📚 Overview:
In this mini Socratic seminar-meets-writing-café, students will explore the bittersweet truth behind chocolate production, especially the ethical concerns around sourcing, labor, and sustainability. They’ll read a short article, then write a “chocolate manifesto” calling for change, awareness, or personal responsibility.
🧁 Materials:
Access to the article:
👉 ["The Bittersweet Truth About Chocolate" – National Geographic Kids or CNN Teens-style article (you may choose your own age-appropriate one)]Paper or journals
Pens or markers
Optional: chocolate samples (bittersweet + almond-infused) for sensory hook
Printed “Chocolate Ethics Café Menu”
🍽️ “Chocolate Ethics Café Menu” (student handout):
Appetizer: Vocabulary Tasting
Define 3–5 of the following:
Bittersweet
Ethical
Sustainable
Fair Trade
Supply Chain
Main Course: Reading & Discussion
Read the article and annotate for anything that feels bittersweet—both good and problematic.
Dessert: Chocolate Manifesto Prompt
Write a 1-paragraph statement:
_"I believe chocolate should be __________ because _______."
Support your claim with a fact or idea from the article.
✏️ Activity Steps:
Hook: Offer optional chocolate samples. Ask: “What does bittersweet mean literally—and metaphorically?”
Reading & Vocabulary (10–15 min):
Students read the selected article and complete the “Appetizer” section, either individually or in pairs.Mini Discussion Café (15–20 min):
Use Socratic prompts:What surprised you?
Should we change how we consume chocolate?
Can something be both delicious and problematic?
Manifesto Writing (15 min):
Students respond to the “Dessert” writing prompt. Optional: share aloud café-style while sipping hot cocoa or tea!
🌟 Extension Ideas:
Create a class “Bittersweet Wall” of manifestos.
Research chocolate companies and their sourcing practices—rate them with a quirky chocolate “scorecard.”
Connect to literature: How is life or love often bittersweet in poetry or novels?
🍫 Quirky in the Workplace
A.K.A. “Dark chocolate, darker humor, and questionable nut-based decision-making.”
Sure, it’s a made-up food holiday. But around here, we respect any celebration that involves bitter sweetness—because nothing says "end of Q4 energy" like emotionally complex snacks.
🟪 “Bitter? Sweet? You Decide.” Snack & Roast Exchange
Here’s how it works:
Everyone brings in a treat that loosely includes bittersweet chocolate and almonds. Could be cookies, bark, questionable protein bars, or just a single chocolate-covered almond dramatically placed on a plate.
Then, for every snack someone samples, they have to offer one sweet and one bitter "roast"—office-themed, lighthearted, and HR-approved.
Examples:
Sweet: “Julie always remembers everyone’s birthday!”
Bitter: “Julie also remembers that time you accidentally hit ‘reply all’ in 2021.”
Sweet: “Tom’s spreadsheets are color-coded masterpieces.”
Bitter: “Tom needs to stop using Comic Sans in official memos.”
Optional Bonus Round:
Create a “Chocolate Mood Board” where people place their snack on a scale from “Melty Romance Novel” to “Existential Crisis with a Crunch.”
Tagline for the Day:
“Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day: Because our snacks—and our team dynamics—are better when they’re a little nutty.”
🎬 Movie Pick: Chocolat (2000)
Why it fits: This whimsical drama centers around a mysterious woman who opens a chocolate shop in a repressed French village during Lent. She crafts confections that transform the townspeople — both literally and emotionally.
Bittersweet parallel: The film explores how chocolate (especially dark, spiced varieties) reflects emotional complexity, healing, and forbidden desires — much like bittersweet chocolate with almonds.
Bonus: There's a beautiful almond/cinnamon/bittersweet combo in some of her creations.
📺 TV Episode Pick: The Great British Bake Off – Series 9, Episode 5 ("Pastry Week")
Why it fits: This episode features bakers crafting sweet and savory pastries, including chocolate almond tarts, frangipane fillings, and other nutty delights. It’s a perfect representation of complex flavor profiles.
Bittersweet moment: As always with Bake Off, there’s joy, failure, and emotional departures — a reminder of how “bittersweet” applies to both dessert and life.
Fun Facts to Munch On 🍬
Bittersweet chocolate must contain at least 35% cocoa solids—aka, it’s the moody, intense sibling of the chocolate family.
Almonds are technically seeds, not nuts. Minds blown.
Pairing chocolate with almonds goes way back to ancient times, when both were prized for their allegedaphrodisiac powers. Ahem.
So whether you're baking up a storm, rewatching a heart-wrenching indie film, or just eating handfuls of chocolate almonds in your pajamas (relatable), make November 7 a deliciously dark, delightfully nutty kind of day.
Because honestly—what better way to cope with life’s bittersweet moments than by eating them?
#BittersweetChocolateWithAlmondsDay
#DarkAndNutty
#SnackAttackApproved
#ChocolateMood
#CelebrateQuirky
