Chocolate covered coconut balls are a recipe from my childhood. My mom would make them every year for Christmas to take around to our friends and neighbors. I didn’t like them at all. Haha! Oh how things change!
Is there an age you reach that you start looking backward instead of forward or is this just a me thing? I’ve been very nostalgic lately and it seems to grow more and more so as the years move on.
Yes, I still hope and dream. I still am loving life and where it’s taking me, but I’ve found this fondness for time and our stories. As a little girl I had no idea that the past little moments would one day be big ones to me. Coconut chocolate balls were absolutely not on my radar as ever mattering. In fact, I hated them, but there’s a reason they are here.
Home was a Safe Haven
I grew up on a very small private road in Vancouver, Washington. Our street was shaped like the letter T. You entered at what would be the bottom of the T and drove down until you had to go left or right. I was off to the right and I can still see our big rhododendron bushes lining our yard and the way the fog hung in the air as we walked to school each morning.
Every Christmas, lights would appear on houses and Christmas trees in windows and as I wandered home from school careful to not walk too close on the right where the huge mean poodles lived, and quick to walk past a field on the left where occasionally the rottweilers got out of their fence and would chase us barking and nipping at our buns (it was horrifying to say the least) I would picture all of the goodies Mom would be standing at the kitchen island making.
As a kid you don’t really think about other kids and their homes. I just assumed all families were doing what we were. All kids were safe and happy. All moms were full time at home cleaning house and preparing wonderful meals and goodies. I know better now. I grew up in a safe haven. A place of love and peace. I find myself looking back as the mother of children now and understanding what I am to create and who I am to be because of these memories of my family.
Connecting in the Kitchen
Peanut butter balls were my favorite. All dipped in chocolate like a Reese’s peanut butter cup. But every year Mom made a batch of the dreaded coconut balls too. GAG!! Ugh, all those stringy strands of pungent coconut like you’re eating a hairball from our little Tabby cat.
But remember, I’m nostalgic, and looking back all while I’m circling my arms around my little ones so one day I found myself wanting to connect with our teenager and realized, she adores coconut and I have just the recipe to make with her. A grandmother’s love entered that kitchen as we rolled ball after ball of coconut. I was able to weave generations and hearts together and suddenly the hated coconut balls weren’t hated at all, but instead they became a treasure between a mother and a daughter.
What Ingredients Do I Need for Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls?
Sometimes all you need is a few simple ingredients (6 to be exact) to knit hearts and generations together. These items are all you will need to make these no bake chocolate dipped coconut balls:
- Chocolate Almond Bark or Hershey’s Chocolate
- Powdered Sugar
- Butter (room temperature)
- Coconut
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Vanilla Extract
The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls
You’re just a few simple steps from making memories with your children in the kitchen. This treat is perfect do with toddlers or teenagers. Let’s make these chocolate coconut balls!
- Cream the butter, vanilla and powdered sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
- PRO TIP: Be sure the butter is room temperature so you don’t get clumps of butter in your mixture.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and coconut.
- Mix everything together thoroughly.
- Roll into balls.
- PRO TIP: I like to use a small cookie scoop to keep the size consistent. It will be sticky. Dust your hands with powdered sugar to help avoid the sticking.
- Set the balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place them in the freezer for at least 2 hours (up to overnight).
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute and then continue in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely melted.
- Dip the coconut balls in chocolate and place back on the lined baking sheet. You can use a fork or these chocolate dipping tools.
- Wait for the chocolate to set and then move to an airtight container.
- Top with shredded coconut or sprinkles if you want.
All these steps can be found in the recipe card below as well.
Can You Use Chocolate Chips For Dipping?
You can use chocolate chips instead of candy melts, but you should add 1 Tablespoon of shortening to each 6 oz. of chocolate chips.
How Long Will Dipped Chocolates Keep?
When stored in a cool place in an airtight container, homemade chocolates will keep for a month or more. Be sure to keep them in a cool place.
Should Chocolates Be Stored In The Refrigerator?
Chocolates should not be stored in the refrigerator.
Chocolates should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark location.
Possible Variations on Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls
We like dark chocolate on our coconut balls, but feel free to use milk chocolate. Or better yet, make some of both! You could stick a whole almond on top and make it taste like an Almond Joy. If you love coconut flavor, you can add a half teaspoon of coconut extract to the coconut mixture. The beauty of these is that you can make them just how you like!
Put on some Christmas music, turn on the lights of the Christmas tree and gather your loved ones in the kitchen and create memories making these chocolate covered coconut balls! One day your kids will look back on these moments with so much love and nostalgia just like I do now!
More Candy Recipes You’ll Love:
Description
Chocolate covered coconut balls are a recipe from my childhood. My mom would make them every year for Christmas to take around to our friends and neighbors.
-
Cream butter, vanilla and powdered sugar.
1 Cup Butter, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 2 ¼ Pounds Powdered Sugar
-
Add condensed milk and coconut.
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 Bag Coconut
-
Mix thoroughly.
-
Roll into balls. *see note
-
Freeze for 2 hours, or even overnight.
-
Melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute, stir. Continue to heat at 30 second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth.
1 Package Almond Bark
-
Dip coconut balls in chocolate and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet.
-
When chocolate is set, transfer to an airtight container and store in a cool place.
Â
May be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 1-2 months.
Calories: 110kcal
Recommended Products
REMEMBER TO SUBSCRIBE TO our FREE Oh Sweet Basil NEWSLETTER AND RECEIVE EASY RECIPES DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX EVERY DAY!
When you try a recipe, please use the hashtag #ohsweetbasil on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured in our stories! Â FOLLOW OH, SWEET BASIL ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER FOR ALL OF OUR LATEST CONTENT, RECIPES AND STORIES.
