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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.

A chocolate covered coconut ball that has been broken in half so you can see the creamy white coconut center. There are other coconut balls in the background.
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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.

A round wire rack with chocolate covered coconut balls. There are a few coconut flakes sprinkled on top.

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.

A wire rack with chocolate dipped coconut balls. A little sprinkle of coconut is sprinkled on top of each ball and a small dish of chocolate in next to the rack.

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.

Six chocolate covered coconut balls on a wire rack. The coconut balls have a few coconut flakes sprinkled on top of the chocolate.

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!

  1. 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.
  2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and coconut.
  3. Mix everything together thoroughly.
  4. 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.
  5. 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).
  6. Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute and then continue in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely melted.
  7. Dip the coconut balls in chocolate and place back on the lined baking sheet. You can use a fork or these chocolate dipping tools.
  8. Wait for the chocolate to set and then move to an airtight container.
  9. Top with shredded coconut or sprinkles if you want.

All these steps can be found in the recipe card below as well.

A round wire rack with chocolate dipped coconut balls. A few coconut flakes are sprinkled on top.

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.

A close up picture of chocolate covered coconut balls. The candy is sprinkled with a few coconut flakes.

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:

3.82 from 49 votes

Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls

By Sweet Basil
Prep2 hours 10 minutes
Total2 hours 40 minutes
Servings48
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.
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Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • 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.

Recipe Notes

*Note:  filling will be sticky. You may refrigerate for a little while before rolling into balls, or dust hands with powdered sugar.
 
May be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 1-2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball, Calories: 110kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 31mg, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 22IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Chocolate covered coconut balls

About The Author

Carrian Cheney

Carrian Cheney is the creative force behind ‘Oh, Sweet Basil,’ a food blog she co-authors with her husband, Cade. She creates fresh, family-friendly recipes that encourage togetherness in the kitchen.

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3.82 from 49 votes (48 ratings without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. M.J. says:

    I just made 1/2 the recipe – double checked all measurements – and it was like soup. Added in the remainder of a 17oz bag of coconut and additional sugar to stiffen it. Will have to see what it looks like after it’s chilled but it was not moldable at all.

  2. Terry says:

    I must have done something wrong. There is no way 2 sticks of butter can be mixed with a 2# bag of powdered sugar. I just end up with small lumps of powdered sugar in a BUNCH of very fluffy powdered sugar. Then when I add the coconut and sweetened condensed milk, there is not enough liquid to blend this all together.

    1. Sweet Basil says:

      Hi Terry! I double and triple checked the recipe and all the measurements are correct. The butter should be very soft. It should be almost like a cookie dough consistency.

  3. Rebecca Weathers says:

    5 stars
    My mother added chopped pecans to the coconut mixture, and it made them even more delicious. She also added melted food grade wax that came in bars to the melted chocolate that gave the balls a glossy finish and made them easier to store and hold in your hand without melting. I am thinking of using either freshly grated or frozen grated coconut to make mine.But,I’m not sure if I will need to bake the coconut first so that refrigeration won’t be necessary.

    1. Sweet Basil says:

      Thank you so much for the feedback Rebecca! I love the idea of adding almonds!!

  4. Irene says:

    How many ounces in the package of Hershey’s chocolate?

    1. Sweet Basil says:

      Hi Irene! It depends on what type of Hershey’s chocolate you buy. You want 24oz total.

  5. Lorna says:

    What size bag of coconut? Thank you

    1. Sweet Basil says:

      Hi Lorna! A 14 oz. bag.