Chocolate Acorns

These easy and adorable Chocolate Acorns are the perfect DIY Fall chocolate treat. Dairy-free dark chocolate is molded into the chocolate candy kiss shape, topped with a mini no-bake, crispy quinoa cookie, and then finished with gluten-free pretzel pieces as the acorn stems!

I was looking for a fun Fall culinary craft to do with my kids and I came across these chocolate acorns. I thought they were super cute and seemed easy enough to make. Of course I would have to put my own spin on it, especially because I needed to adapt them to be gluten-free and vegan.

I just bought a chocolate kiss candy mold to use in my Almond Flour Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie recipe, so I was looking for another way to use it, and these Chocolate Acorns were the perfect way. They turned out so cute!! 🤭

I’ve seen this fun Fall treat made a few different ways. Typically Hershey Kisses are used for the bottoms of the acorns, but I haven’t been able to find them in a dairy-free version, so I decided to make my own copycat Kisses. I love the added texture of making my own using this candy mold too!

I have seen vanilla wafer cookies or Nutter Butter Bites used as the tops of the acorns. I don’t even know if either of those exist in a gluten-free, vegan version (most likely not), so I decided to make my own acorn tops based off of my popular Crispy Quinoa Cacao Cookies, and they turned out so great! I love the texture they add, just like real acorn tops.

For the acorn stems, I decided to go with gluten-free pretzel pieces. You could use chocolate chips or butterscotch chips used as the stems, but I felt the pretzels gave the acorns a more realistic look.

Ingredients

Crispy Quinoa Cookie Ingredients

Peanut butter. Using peanut butter in the quinoa cookies gives the cookies a delicious flavor. If you want to use another nut or seed butter instead of peanut butter, feel free to do so.

Coconut oil. Using 1 teaspoon of coconut oil helps to harden the cookies and allow them to stick together.

Tapioca syrup. I use tapioca syrup as a mild sweetener in this mini cookie recipe. Tapioca syrup is also very thick and sticky so it helps the cookies stick together. You will need 1 tablespoon.

Vanilla. You will need 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.

Crispy puffed quinoa. I am a big fan of puffed quinoa. It’s so great in a lot of recipes- especially when you’re looking for just the right amount of crunch. You will need 1/3 cup of puffed quinoa to use in the crispy acorn cookie tops.

Chocolate Kiss Ingredients

Chocolate chips. You will need 1 cup of dairy-free/dark chocolate chips. I used Enjoy Life Foods.

Coconut oil. To melt with the chocolate chips, you will need 1 teaspoon of coconut oil. This helps to make the chocolate a bit more fluid and easy to pour into the candy mold.

Stems

To make the tiny acorn stems, you’ll need either more chocolate chips or gluten-free pretzel sticks. I like to use the ends of the pretzel sticks to elevate the look of these candy acorns. I used Quinn Gluten-Free Pretzel Sticks.

Tools

If you’re making your own chocolate kisses, you’ll need a candy mold. Other than that, no other special tools are needed to make these Chocolate Acorns.

How To Make These Chocolate Acorns

These Chocolate Acorns are actually very simple to make. First, make the mini crispy quinoa cookies for the tops of the acorns. Combine the peanut butter, coconut oil, tapioca syrup, and vanilla in a medium bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk the mixture together until smooth and then fold in the crispy puffed quinoa (affiliate link).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using 1/4 teaspoon, scoop the quinoa mixture and mold and flatten into small circles.

After all of the mixture is used up, place the baking sheet into the fridge for 45-60 minutes to to harden while you make the chocolate kisses.

To make the chocolate candy kisses, melt the chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in the microwave for 50-60 seconds and then pour into each candy mold to the top.

Gently tap the mold onto the counter a few times to make sure the chocolate fully spreads and covers the molds, then place into the fridge for 45-60 minutes.

After the chocolate candy is hardened, remove them from the molds. It may help to let the mold sit out for just a few minutes so they pop out of the mold easier.

Note: Alternatively you can place both the cookies and chocolate in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

Next, take the remaining melted chocolate to use as the “glue” to adhere the tops of the acorns and the stems. If the extra chocolate has hardened, you can place it back in the microwave for 15-25 seconds. Spread a little melted chocolate on the flat end of the chocolate kiss and then place a quinoa cookie on top. Press it down to make sure it sticks.

Lastly, cut the ends of the pretzel sticks off (they will be very small pieces!), place a dot of melted chocolate on the cut end of the pretzel and then stick it onto the acorn top. You may need to hold each one on there for a few seconds. This is the most tedious part, but so worth it!

Place the acorns back into the fridge for another 20-30 minutes to make sure the tops and stems set and then enjoy!

How To Eat

I like to pop the whole acorn in my mouth so I can enjoy the crunchy cookie and creamy chocolate flavors together! If you’ve had them chilling in the refrigerator for a while, you may want to let them soften ever so slightly so the chocolate isn’t too hard to bite into.

How To Store

You’ll want to keep these Chocolate Acorns stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can leave them out for short amounts of time, but the cookie starts to soften and loses a bit of its crunch if left out too long.

Recipe Tips

When you’re making the crispy quinoa cookies, be sure to work quickly. As the mixture cools, it’s harder to mold into circles.

Make sure to fill the chocolate mold completely and tap it on the counter to ensure the chocolate gets in all the nooks and crannies, otherwise you’ll end up with bubbles and spots where the chocolate didn’t fill in. If you want, you could even use a paintbrush to spread the chocolate in each mold to make sure the outer layer will be smooth and filled in.

Keep the chocolate kisses in the fridge and take out one at a time to adhere the tops is helpful to avoid leaving fingerprints in the chocolate as they start to soften in your fingertips.

It’s helpful to cut the pretzel pieces before hand. Sticking on the stems can be a bit tedious, so doing them all at once can be helpful.

Don’t use too much melted chocolate to stick on the tops and stems or it will just ooze over the edges and make them look less like acorns. You want just enough melted chocolate to act as “glue” to stick the tops and stems on.

What Do They Taste Like?

These Chocolate Acorns are obviously reminiscent of Hershey Chocolate Kisses, but also a crunch bar! The crunchy peanut butter quinoa cookies pair wonderfully with the chocolate. And then you have a touch of the chocolate covered pretzel flavor too!

Let me know what you think about this easy dessert craft recipe down below in the comments section as well as giving it a five rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover these easy, dairy-free Chocolate Acorns! I’d love to see your versions, so be sure to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest if you make them!

Other Crispy Quinoa Recipes To Try

Print