To be perfectly honest, these Chocolate Dipped Coconut Snowballs are just tarted up Coconut Macaroon's branded with their own name with a festive feel to them.
You can make these any time of the year and they will always go down well with kids and adults alike. However, they really do come into their own during the holiday season when it's cold outside and you want a treat that explodes with the taste of the flavours of the Caribbean or some other exotic place where coconuts feature heavily in the local diet.
These cute little mouthfuls of joy are so easy to make and kids will love getting involved, especially with the rolling and shaping phase of the recipe.
Total prep time is just 5 mins and cooking time is 20 mins, which means you can be feasting on these in no time at all with minimum mess too.
The original macaroons were made using ground almonds. Over the years though, almonds have been replaced by desiccated coconut as the main ingredient.
Some almond based baking recipes:
Coconut flavour and texture is so much more exciting than almonds. Plus, coconut is just as healthy in terms of fibre and healthy fats.
The other really nice thing about coconut macaroons is they don't contain any flour. Egg whites instead are what makes these terrific treats rise slightly and have a fluffy texture inside.
These snowballs are so easy to make as you will see from the ingredients and method below, but you can also buy some in, Mrs Crimbles makes some mean Coconut Macaroons and a pack of six costs just £1.20.
Coconut macaroons in the oven after 20 mins of baking at 140 degrees celsius. When they are golden brown the outside is slightly crispy while the inside is soft and fluffy. Allow them to cool before dipping in chocolate.
Ingredients
This recipe for the macaroons only requires 4 readily available ingredients so try and buy the best possible desiccated coconut (one that's finer rather than coarse). If you are dipping them in chocolate (you must) then you will need a few extra ingredients, also listed below. Buy the best quality 85% dark chocolate you can afford, such as Lindt.
For the Macaroons
- 150g desiccated coconut
- 2 egg whites
- 20g honey (replace with 20g sugar if you don't have honey)
- 50g caster sugar
For the chocolate dip
- 100g dark chocolate
- 20g cream
- 20g butter
- Milk
Don't waste the leftover chocolate sauce. Pour it into a cup and refrigerate until cool. It makes a lovely chocolate mouse to enjoy with a spoon.
Method
Preparation time is so quick that the first thing you should do is pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees celsius because your snowballs are going to be ready for the oven in minutes.
First add two egg whites to a bowl, along with the sugar, honey and a tiny pinch of salt. Use a hand or stand mixer to beat the mixture until the sugar has fully dissolved into the egg whites and the mixture is nice and fluffy.
Now add the desiccated coconut to the wet mixture and stir properly until fully combined.
Here comes the fun bit. Kids tiny little hands are welcome now to start rolling the mixture into balls. Make sure not to make the balls any bigger than a golf ball otherwise the centres won't fully cook before the outside browns.
Happy with your balls? Place on a baking tray, no greasing or grease proof paper needed, the balls will roll off the tray easily when they are cooked.
Place the tray in the oven and set a timer for 20 mins while you turn your attention to the chocolate topping.
In a small saucepan, add the butter, cream and milk and set the heat to the lowest possible setting. Grab a wooden spoon and break up the chocolate into small pieces and add to the saucepan and immediately start string. As soon as about half the chocolate is melted, turn the fire off and continue stirring until all the chocolate is fully melted.
When the snowballs are fully baked, remove from oven and allow them to sit for 5-10 mins until they are safe to handle. Then simply dip them in the chocolate sauce and place back on a tray or plate. Leave to cool before tucking in.
These treats will keep in an air-tight container for 3 or 4 days, 5 or 6 days if refrigerated. However, if you are planning to serve these to guests, its best not to refrigerate as the chocolate will crack and look a bit unsightly.
This final decoration is optional but adds such a lovely finishing touch to the snowballs. Just sprinkle desiccated coconut over the chocolate tops.
Don't waste the leftover chocolate sauce
You might find that you're left with quite a lot of chocolate sauce after dipping the snowballs. This isn't an error in the amount of the ingredients, it's intentional. You need quite a bit of chocolate sauce in order to be able to dip the snowballs in.
Don't be tempted to grab a spoon and polish it off then and there while it's still hot and runny. Instead, pour it into a small cup and place in the fridge. Leave to cool for at least 2 hours, after which time, you can dip into it with a small spoon whenever you feel like you need a sweet pick-me-up. The cream and butter content of the sauce makes this a really luxuriously silky smooth treat.
Add a bit of snow to your snowballs
As a final touch to make the snowballs look like they've been sprinkled with flakes of white snow, just take a handful of desiccated coconut and sprinkle all over the chocolate tops while the chocolate is still soft. Now you have the ultimate festive treat that not only tastes the part but also looks the part too.
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