A sweet, moist, coconut and vanilla flavoured center, covered in a chocolate coating, Chocolate Coconut Balls are an easy, no-bake holiday favourite! Very freezer-friendly and great for gift-giving too!
The countdown is well under way now! Here we are with day eight of Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas advent. So far, we’ve covered old fashioned classics, a few family traditional type recipes, and even a fun and kid-friendly marshmallow ball. Now, let’s get to one of my favourite ingredients – coconut – with these Chocolate Coconut Balls!
Speaking of balls, I think cookie balls are more popular at Christmastime than any other time of the year. I think it’s because the confection business places a large amount of money and effort into pushing chocolate truffle type balls at this time of year. And, in true food blogger fashion, bloggers will often re-create homemade versions of these popular balls.
A NO-BAKE HOLIDAY FAVOURITE
This particular recipe though is not a copycat version of anything as far as I know. This is a recipe that my mom made every holiday season. She loved coconut and would bake with it quite often. Chocolate Coconut Balls are completely no-bake though. All you need to do is melt a bit of butter; that’s as hard as ‘baking’ gets in this recipe.
Chocolate Coconut Balls take a little bit of patience, but they are very worth it when all is said and done. I love to eat cookies like this one that are dipped in chocolate, but I hate making them. I’m not a big fan of melting chocolate with the purpose of dipping a ball into it.
It’s not that I hate to do it, it’s that I tend to be a little bit of a perfectionist and when the ball doesn’t turn out completely round, and if the chocolate doesn’t look the way I feel it should, it gets me a little frustrated. When I set out to make my mom’s Chocolate Coconut Balls for my 24 Cookies of Christmas series, I was determined not to get frustrated when applying the chocolate coating to the balls.
MORE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES!
Did you know that I’ve been posting a 24 Cookies of Christmas series for a few years now? There are over 100 Christmas cookie recipes that you can find right here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen! To make it easier to find, I have created a page for each series. Just click on the image below and you’ll find the full series for that volume all one page!
PERFECTLY DIPPED CHOCOLATE BALLS ARE NOT NECESSARY
After all, Dear Reader, the purpose of this series was meant to be fun and adventurous. It wasn’t to showcase perfection or to foster frustration. And, in reality, Lord Byron’s Kitchen has always been a source of home style recipes meant for the at-home cook. Perfection be gone! Christmastime brings with it more important things; can I get an amen?
Speaking of more important things, what things do you deem most important at Christmastime? I place a lot of emphasis on family at this time of year, but in truth, I tend to place a lot of emphasis on family time year round. I’m guilty of not spending enough time with my dad or my siblings, but I do live about a two hour drive away.
HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:
- Coconut – Baking coconut comes in sweetened and unsweetened and in different sizes. Unless otherwise stated, use unsweetened coconut when baking otherwise the result might be too sweet. Be sure to check the size too – is it supposed to be shredded, grated, etc? The size of the coconut will affect the outcome of your recipe.
- Canned Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low fat condensed milk. Depending on where you live, the size of the can my differ. Be sure to have the full 14 ounces!
- Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
- Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar. It’s uses in frostings quite often. When dusted lightly onto cakes and cookies, it adds just a touch of sweetness, but more importantly, it looks very visually appealing!
- Chocolate Chips – I use chocolate chips a lot in my recipes, and I change up the type depending on how I feel. Unless the recipe states otherwise, you can use milk, semi-sweet, or dark chips.
MORE CHRISTMAS CONFECTIONS!
In some cases, we want more than a cookie. That’s why I have two more Christmas-themed collections you might want to consider. The first, is my 12 Bundt Cakes of Christmas, and the second is my 12 Biscotti of Christmas. Click on the image below to see each collection all on one page with links to each recipe!
MAKING TIME FOR FAMILY ALL YEAR ROUND
And, I’m still young enough to get caught up in the wonderful world of technology, so I’m one of those people that is guilty of texting rather than calling. In fact, we don’t even own a landline. All three of us have our own cell phones, and tend to text whenever possible. I talk to my dad by phone about once every two weeks. But we text throughout the week.
As for my older sister and my younger brother, I cannot tell you the last time we spoke by phone. I guess it would have been about two years ago when my mom was still with us. But, again, we do text regularly. I know it’s a poor excuse, but life has a way of becoming too busy and we tend to focus on things that are less important than family and friends. We’re all guilty.
I think we should all make a more conscience effort in 2019 to talk to our family and friends with our voices rather than our texts. Who’s with me? Sounds like a resolution that’s easier to keep than losing weight. Why? Because cookies like these Chocolate Coconut Cookies are way too delicious.
Chocolate Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 cups sweetened coconut, finely grated
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Add 5 cups of the coconut and the confectioner's sugar. Stir well until well combined
- Chill for 15 minutes. In the meantime, add the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut to a bowl. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and set aside.
- Once the cookie batter is chilled, portion the cookie batter into 1 1/2 teaspoon portions. Roll into balls and place on the baking sheet. Once all rolled, place the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, over a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips until smooth and glossy. Dip the coconut balls into the melted chocolate and tap off the excess chocolate.
- Place the chocolate covered coconut ball onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle over a little of the reserved coconut.
- Keep balls refrigerated. Remove desired amount from fridge a few minutes before serving.
Lauren Vavala | DeliciousLittleBites says
Coconut and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations for just about any dessert! These cookies are perfect for the holidays! Great recipe!
Mahy Elamin says
I love chocolate balls such a great way to celebrate holidays or even Christmas. The combination of chocolate and coconut it is also a great pairing. I want to try!
Marisa Franca says
I’m certainly glad you decided to share your mom’s recipe with us. We love coconut and as far as I can tell they look pretty perfect to me. If I have time I don’t mind the chocolate dipping – and our family loves chocolate. You are right — Christmas and life really are all about family. You’ve certainly shared some great Christmas cookie ideas with us. I love the fact that I can surprise the family with some new recipes.
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I am the coconut lover in our house, and I love not bake treats this time of year because I can share them as gifts and enjoy them. I love these straight out of my freezer!
Jen says
An elegant and festive holiday treat. I prefer candy to cookies so these are just perfect. Coconut is a favorite in our house. Can’t wait to make these!
Ashley says
Has anyone Tried using almond extract instead of vanilla?
Betty says
Yes….ver good,enhanced the coconut
Jacqueline Rosenberger says
I have unsweetened coconut can u use that
Carla Corwin says
I was a little short on coconut so I ground up peanuts added them turned out great!!