Raspberry and Chocolate With Almonds Grilled Cheese

Havarti cheese, creamy mascarpone, tart raspberries, milk chocolate with almonds and orange zest get melty and gooey pressed in between hunks of angel food cake in this surprising and delicious take on grilled cheese.

Grilled Cheese—it’s standard fare at our house. Savory? Sure! But, sweet? Absolutely!

Sometimes we all get in a rut with that cheddar-on-white-bread-with-tomato-soup thing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just that there’s so much more cheesy goodness out there to be melted, gooed and strung into our mouths.

Especially when the cheese is paired with classic almond studded chocolate bars and a bite of sweet, fresh fruit for a savory take on a grilled dessert sandwich.

If you’re familiar with some of my favorite cravings on the old FoodieCrush bloggity blog, then you know I have a ripe penchant for all things grilled cheese. I’ve judged contests, I’ve shared how to take photos of grilled cheese sandwiches, and I have more than a few melty bites in the recipe archives.

The combo of nuts and chocolate is nothing new in my kitchen where recipes like my German Chocolate Brownie Pie make it nearly impossible for me to ever eat regular brownies or plain old cake again.

So, today I’m putting the standard grilled cheese on its head and pairing sweet cheese and sweet raspberries with the even sweeter classic HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate with Almonds bars.

Give Me the Nuts!

If you give me a choice of any sweet treat to eat, I will choose a chocolate bar with nuts 100% of the time. It’s how I like my ice cream (rocky road forever!), my cookies (always crave the crunch) and yes, even that dang addictive brownie pie.

As one of the largest single buyers of almonds in the world, Hershey knows a thing or two about my favorite almond.

Like many of their consumers, I’ve come to expect the consistency that Hershey delivers.  But what I appreciate nearly as much is that Hershey sources the almonds they use close to home, working with 6,500 California almond growers to produce almonds that meet Hershey’s standards of quality and expectations. 90% of these farmers are the second and third generation of small, family-owned farms, and that’s important to me, to know that global companies like Hershey’s are supporting those family farmers who work relentlessly to deliver quality ingredients for me and my family. And to our sweet tooth.

About the Recipe

The tone is set for a great grilled cheese with the first slice of bread. Or in this case, loaf of angel food cake. Light and airy on the inside, the buttered slices of angel food cake crisp up to deliver a delicate exterior for the melted insides of the grilled cheese. If angel cake isn’t your thing or you’re looking for a sturdier outside, try a sweetened brioche or challah bread to keep the dessert theme going.

This grilled cheese gets its sweetness from HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate with Almonds bars. The almonds melted among the cheese and chocolate give an unexpected but totally welcome crunchy surprise and contrast perfectly with the soft chew of the sandwich.

I use two cheese for this sandwich: creamy mascarpone that’s been sprinkled with just a touch of granulated sugar and creamy havarti. Mascarpone is creamy like a cream cheese but not as tart. Havarti is a young cheese making it perfectly suitable for melting. These two cheeses are mild enough in flavor to simply compliment rather than take over the flavor of this sweetened grilled cheese.

I used raspberries in this version but any other jammy berry or fruit would work. Try strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or even sliced stone fruit.

Orange zest pairs perfectly with cheese, chocolate and nuts. It’s the perky part of the sandwich and that little taste of something unexpected.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.  

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4 from 4 votes

Raspberry and Chocolate With Almonds Grilled Cheese

Havarti cheese, creamy mascarpone, tart raspberries, milk chocolate with almonds and orange zest get melty and gooey pressed in between hunks of angel food cake for a fun take on grilled cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 slices angel food cake from a loaf
• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• 4 slices havarti cheese
• 4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese softened
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 1.45- ounce bar HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate with Almonds
• ½ cup fresh raspberries
• Zest of 1 orange

Instructions

• Spread ½ tablespoon of butter on one side of each slice of the angel food cake and turn the unbuttered side up, laying the buttered side down on a cutting board or piece of parchment.
• Layer each of the 4 slices of angel food cake with 1 slice of the havarti, then set 2 of the havarti topped slices aside. Spread half of the mascarpone on top of the other 2 slices and sprinkle with the sugar. Top these with a generous pinch of the orange zest then roughly break the pieces of the HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds into chunks and divide among the 2 slices of cake with the mascarpone and zest. Top each slice with a few berries.
• Drizzle the oil into a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Place the four sandwich slices in the pan buttered side down. Cover with a lid and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the bread is golden and the cheese and chocolate has melted.
• Transfer to a plate and top the chocolate, cheese and berry sides of the sandwich with the slices of cake with just the melted cheese. Enjoy hot.

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Have a great day, and make something good.

This post is part of series of partnered posts with Hershey. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.  

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