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These Chocolate coconut balls are sweet, soft, and chewy with a smooth dark chocolate coating that gives them an almost-Almond Joy feeling. You stir together coconut, powdered sugar, and sweetened condensed milk, roll the mixture into balls, chill them, and dip them in chocolate—no candy thermometer or fussy stovetop work needed. With just five ingredients, they look like a candy-shop treat but are easy to make at home.
Why You’ll Love It
- No baking needed — perfect when the oven is already busy.
- Quick active prep — about 20 minutes of hands-on work.
- Five simple ingredients — no long shopping list or specialty candy tools.
- Candy-shop appearance — the chocolate coating sets into neat, polished little treats.
- Easy to transport — they travel well once chilled.
Ingredient Notes
For the coconut, the recipe uses desiccated coconut, which is very finely shredded and unsweetened. It gives these a smoother center, less like a macaroon and more like an actual little candy filling. If all you can find is regular shredded coconut, use it. I have. If the shreds are especially long or coarse, pulse them a few times in a blender or food processor first. Don’t turn it into coconut dust, for heaven’s sake—just break it down a bit.
Powdered sugar is what brings the filling together and gives it that soft, almost truffle-like texture. I use plain old confectioners’ sugar, whatever brand is on sale. It’s going under chocolate; we are not conducting a blind tasting at the Ritz.
Sweetened condensed milk is not evaporated milk. They are not interchangeable, despite being parked beside each other in the baking aisle like they’re cousins who get along. Grab the sweetened condensed milk.
For the coating, dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips both work. I lean dark chocolate because the filling is very sweet, but semi-sweet works well too. The shortening helps the melted chocolate coat the balls more smoothly. Just two tablespoons—you won’t taste it.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups desiccated coconut, finely shredded and unsweetened if you can find it
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips—I usually choose dark, but do what makes you happy
- 2 tablespoons shortening
Instructions
Line a pan or baking sheet with wax paper. Don’t skip this unless you enjoy chiseling chocolate off a pan later. I have done it, and it was not character-building in any useful way.
In a large bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, desiccated coconut, and sweetened condensed milk. At first it may seem a little crumbly, and you might think you measured something wrong. Give it a minute. Keep stirring and pressing it together with the spoon or clean hands until it forms a sticky, workable mixture.
Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on the wax-paper-lined pan. They do not need to be perfectly round. Mine rarely are. The ones at the end always get a little wonky because I’m trying to use up every last bit, and suddenly I’m making something shaped like a lopsided walnut.
Put the pan in the refrigerator until the coconut balls are firm. This doesn’t need to become an all-afternoon affair; just chill them long enough that they hold together when you dip them. I tend to start cleaning up the kitchen while they’re in there, then get distracted by a text, the dog barking at a delivery truck, or one of those home-renovation shows where they knock down a perfectly decent wall. So—check them after a little while.
Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave in short bursts, removing the bowl to stir once or twice, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Go gently here. Chocolate will burn if you get too cocky, and once it seizes into a grainy mess, it can ruin your whole mood. Ask me how I know. Actually don’t; I was already having a bad hair day.
Dip each chilled coconut ball into the melted chocolate. A fork works nicely for lifting them out—let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl before returning each ball to the wax paper. You can use a little candy-dipping tool if you have one, but I’m not buying another gadget that needs its own drawer.
Let the chocolate balls stand until the coating is set, then store them in the refrigerator. They’re very good cold, especially straight from the fridge when the chocolate has that satisfying little snap.
Variations
If you want the Almond Joy direction, tuck a whole almond into the middle of each coconut ball before rolling it up. That is probably my favorite variation, though it does make the balls a bit larger and you’ll need to be gentle when shaping them around the almond. You can also stir chopped almonds into the coconut mixture for a little crunch.
There is also a lighter-style version made with 2 cups desiccated coconut, 4 tablespoons honey, 5 tablespoons coconut oil, and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips for melting. You follow the same general process. I made that version once when there was a sudden push to eat cleaner. It was good, just different. Not bad at all, but I kept reaching for the original. Sometimes a holiday candy is allowed to be a holiday candy.
Storage & Reheating
Store the finished chocolate coconut balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to put wax paper between layers if I’ve piled them up, mostly because I dislike peeling two candies apart and finding one lost half its chocolate coat in the process.
They’ll keep nicely for several days chilled, though in my house that is theoretical information. The batch usually dwindles down to three or four fairly quickly, and then somebody claims they were “saving those” after eating six earlier. If your kitchen runs warm, definitely keep them refrigerated so the coating stays firm.
There’s no reheating needed, obviously. Please don’t microwave them. That sounds ridiculous, but somebody always asks eventually, and melted coconut balls are not the dream.
Final Notes
There’s really no reason to save these for a special occasion. A quiet afternoon is reason enough. A rainy day. An irritating bill. A visit that doesn’t require vacuuming under the sofa cushions first.
The smell of melted chocolate makes the kitchen feel especially cozy.
Anyway. Make the balls a little smaller if you want them to stretch farther. Or don’t. Make them generous and round and a little uneven. That seems more honest somehow.
Chocolate Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups desiccated coconut finely shredded and unsweetened if you can find it
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips dark chocolate preferred, if desired
- 2 tablespoons shortening
Instructions
- Line a pan or baking sheet with wax paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, desiccated coconut, and sweetened condensed milk until the mixture comes together into a sticky, workable filling.
- Shape the coconut mixture into 1-inch balls and place them on the wax-paper-lined pan.
- Refrigerate the pan until the coconut balls are firm enough to hold together when dipped.
- Place the chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave in short bursts, stirring once or twice, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
- Dip each chilled coconut ball into the melted chocolate, using a fork to lift it out and letting the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl before returning it to the wax paper.
- Let the chocolate balls stand until the coating is set, then store them in the refrigerator.