These Easy Coconut Bonbons have a sweet, soft and chewy coconut center covered with creamy milk chocolate. All you need is 4 ingredients to make these incredibly delicious homemade candies!
Perfect for Easter, other holidays and special occasions or just when you’re in the mood for a sweet treat, these bite-sized chocolate covered coconut balls taste just like a Mounds bar!
At this time of the year, one of the most popular recipes here on the blog are my chocolate peanut butter eggs.
So, this year, I wanted to share another one of my favorite easy candy recipes that comes from one of my many old church and community cookbooks: these awesome coconut bonbons.
Growing up, I always got a giant coconut egg in my Easter basket, and I always shared it with my mom because she loved coconut even more than me (I think that’s probably why the Easter Bunny always brought them, wink-wink).
These little gems are so much better. The filling isn’t so sweet it makes your teeth hurt, nor is it dry and crumbly. It’s moist, chewy, and perfectly sweet. And the chocolate-to-coconut ratio is spot-on!
What is a Bonbon?
In general terms, a bonbon is a small confection – often in a round ball shape – that is covered in chocolate. The filling can be just about anything, including fondant, caramel, nougat, buttercream, ganache, fruit, nuts and more.
The name is simply a repetition of the French word bon which means good (hey, that’s two posts in a row where I used my French!). So, since they say it twice, that must mean that they’re extra good, right?
Right!
Today, the filling is coconut, and it’s made with just 2 ingredients: coconut flakes and sweetened condensed milk. Then roll it into little balls, let them chill for a bit, and then dip them into melted chocolate.
After that, all you have to do is wait for the chocolate to set, and they’ll be ready to enjoy!
As far as time goes, you’ll have about 30 minutes of hands-on time (it could be less depending on how quickly you work). The rest is freezer and refrigerator time. So they’re really rather quick and easy to make and are so very worth it!
These little homemade balls of pure deliciousness are better than most store-bought candies. Just be careful, though…it’s really hard to eat just one!
Ingredients You Need
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Sweetened coconut flakes (or unsweetened if you prefer)
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Milk chocolate chips (semi-sweet, dark, or white chocolate chips can also be used)
- Coconut oil (to thin out the chocolate)
Note: The above video is just a quick overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
For those of you who would rather pictures instead of a video, here’s a quick look at the steps:
1: Mix the coconut flakes and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl until well combined.
2: Roll the coconut mixture into 1-inch balls (you should get about 48). As you finish each one, place it on a large baking sheet or tray lined with wax paper.
3: Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 45 minutes or until the balls firm up slightly.
4: Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler.
5: Dip the coconut balls into the melted chocolate one at a time; tap off any excess chocolate.
6: As you finish dipping each ball, place it on a large baking sheet or tray lined with wax paper.
7: (Optional) If there is any leftover melted chocolate, drizzle it over the bonbons with a fork.
8: Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour.
9: Enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Tidbits
- The coconut balls can be a little sticky when rolling. To help with this, you can lightly dampen your hands with water (not too much, though, as you don’t want the balls to be wet). You may need to rinse your hands a few times during the process.
- When rolling the balls, try to make them as smooth as possible so the chocolate coating will be nice and smooth.
- If the balls aren’t so smooth at first, just go ahead and put them in the freezer. After 30 minutes, you can quickly smooth them out after they firm up a bit. Then put them back in the freezer for the remaining 15 minutes.
- I use a double boiler to melt my chocolate chips because I can keep it over low heat and keep the chocolate warm during the entire dipping process.
- Instead of using a double boiler, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave.
- Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving in 15-second intervals, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Continue stirring and allow the residual heat to melt the remaining pieces.
- You may need to reheat the chocolate a few times if it starts to cool and gets too thick (just be careful not to overheat because the chocolate could seize up).
- When dipping the balls in the chocolate, work in small batches and keep the rest in the freezer so they stay as cold as possible.
- Be sure to tap off any excess chocolate from each ball. You don’t want the coating to be too thick, and you want to make sure you have plenty of chocolate for all of the balls.
- Although you don’t have to, I like to use up any leftover melted chocolate by drizzling it over the candies with a fork (do this after the initial coating of chocolate has firmed up a bit). Pretty!
Substitutions & Variations
- I prefer using sweetened coconut flakes, but you could use unsweetened coconut flakes instead.
- Creamy milk chocolate is my favorite, but semi-sweet or dark chocolate will also work. You could even use white chocolate.
- I like to use chocolate chips because I always have them on hand and I don’t have to chop any chocolate. Melting wafers are also a nice option. If you’d rather use chopped up baking chocolate, go right ahead (just make sure it’s a type that’s good for melting).
- If you’re a fan of an Almond Joy, try putting an almond or half an almond in the center of each coconut ball. Yum!
- You can sprinkle the tops of the candies with colored jimmies for a more festive look (just make sure to add them before the chocolate is set so they will stick), or you could finely chop some extra coconut flakes and sprinkle them on top.
- For a cute presentation, put each bonbon in a small paper candy cup.
Storage
Store your coconut bonbons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week (if you don’t eat them all first!).
The chocolate melts rather quickly, so I prefer serving these straight from the fridge. Plus, I think they’re better cold!
For longer-term storage, put the bonbons in an airtight freezer container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Mama, I wish you were here to share these with me!
Happy Easter to all who celebrate. As always, I hope your day is filled with lots of love, laughter and fantastic food!
I hope you try these Easy Coconut Bonbons and love them as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Easy Homemade Candy Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs
- Saltine Cracker Candy (aka Christmas Crack)
- Easy Homemade Peanut Brittle
- Homemade Chocolate Crunch Bars
- Quick and Easy Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
Easy Coconut Bonbons
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) bag sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (11.5-ounce) bag milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Put the coconut flakes and the sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl; stir until well-combined (the coconut should be evenly coated with the sweetened condensed milk and there should be no dry spots).
- Line a large baking sheet or tray with wax paper (or two if your sheets are on the smaller side).
- Roll the coconut mixture into 1-inch balls; you should get about 48 (I use one level measuring tablespoon for each ball to get this size). Roll them as smooth as you can. As you finish rolling each ball, put it on the prepared baking sheet.The mixture will be sticky. To help with this, you can lightly dampen your hands with water (not too much, though, as you don't want the balls to be wet). You may need to rinse off your hands a time or two during the process. If your coconut balls aren't very smooth at this point, just move on to the next step and put them in the freezer. You can smooth them out more after they firm up a bit.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 45 minutes or until the balls firm up slightly.If needed, after about 30 minutes in the freezer, quickly smooth them out and put them back in the freezer for the remaining 15 minutes.
- Put the chocolate chips and the coconut oil in a double boiler. The water in the double boiler should be simmering, not boiling (we want gentle heat here). Stir frequently until the chips are melted and smooth.I don't have a real double boiler, so I make my own by placing a heat-safe glass or metal bowl that fits snugly over a pot of simmering water (about an inch or two of water is all you need; the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl).
- Line another large baking sheet or tray with wax paper (or two if your sheets are on the smaller side).
- Working in small batches of about 6 at a time so they stay as cold as possible, remove the balls from the freezer (I put them on a small plate) and dip them into the melted chocolate, one at a time, tapping off any excess chocolate so the coating isn't too thick. As you finish each one, put it on the lined baking sheet or tray. I use a fork to dip the balls into the chocolate. I don't pierce the balls with the fork. I just use it to flip the ball until it is evenly coated. Then I lift the ball out of the chocolate with the fork and gently tap the fork on the side of the bowl so that the excess chocolate falls through the tines of the fork (see the photos in the post).
- (Optional) If there is any leftover melted chocolate, drizzle it over the bonbons with a fork to make a pretty pattern on top. Just wait to do this until the first coating of chocolate has firmed up a bit so the drizzle doesn't just blend in with the coating. You want to be able to see those pretty drizzle lines.
- Place the baking sheet(s) in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the chocolate is set. Enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of using a double boiler, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave.
- Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue microwaving in 15-second intervals, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Continue stirring and allow the residual heat to melt the remaining pieces.
- You may need to reheat the chocolate a few times if it starts to cool and gets too thick (just be careful not to overheat because the chocolate could seize up).
- You can use unsweetened coconut if you prefer.
- You can substitute the milk chocolate chips with semi-sweet, dark chocolate or white chocolate chips.
- Store the bonbons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer-term storage, you can freeze them.
- The chocolate melts rather quickly, so I prefer serving these straight from the fridge and think they’re better cold!
- Estimated calories shown are for 1 bonbon.
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