Coconut Snowballs

These one-bite coconut candies are a treat that’s easy to make and even easier to love. The food processor does the heavy lifting, chopping the coconut and transforming the cream cheese, butter and confectioners’ sugar into a buttercream-style candy filling. This simple recipe combines the creamy sweetness of coconut with a snappy candy coating for a bite-sized indulgence that’s perfect for parties, holiday gifting or cute little lunchbox-ready treats. With just a few grocery staples, you can make these no-bake treats in no time. Plus, these coconut snowballs can be customized to your liking, so go ahead and experiment with different flavors and toppings.

Ingredients for Coconut Snowballs

• Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the coconut candy. The softened butter also helps make the coconut mixture easier to blend and press into the pan.
• Coconut: Shreds of sweetened coconut, sometimes called angel flake, form the base of the dessert. The sweetened coconut adds a coconut flavor and chewy texture to the recipe.
• Cream cheese: Softened cream cheese adds richness, tang and creaminess to the coconut candy.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Powdered sugar sweetens the coconut base and helps bind the ingredients together by absorbing moisture from the butter and cream cheese.
• White candy coating and shortening: Dipping the finished truffle-like treats into candy bark melted with a little shortening creates a firm candy shell rolled in even more coconut shreds.

Directions

Step 1: Make the coconut candy mixture

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Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1/2 teaspoon of the butter, and set it aside.

Pulse 3/4 cup of the coconut in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the cream cheese and the remaining butter, then pulse until blended. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, and pulse until blended.

Step 2: Chill the coconut mixture

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Press the mixture into the prepared pan, then refrigerate it, covered, for at least three hours.

Step 3: Melt the candy coating

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Microwave the candy coating and shortening until they’re melted together. Stir the mixture until it’s smooth, then let it cool slightly.

Step 4: Form the candy into balls

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Using the foil, lift the coconut mixture out of the pan. Gently peel off the foil, then cut the candy into 36 pieces. Taking a few pieces at a time, roll each into a ball, while keeping the remaining pieces refrigerated.

Step 5: Dip the coconut balls in candy coating

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Using a toothpick, dip the balls one at a time into the melted coating mixture, allowing any excess to drip off. Roll the balls in the remaining coconut, then place them on waxed-paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate them until they’re set.

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Coconut Snowball Variations

• Add some color: Dip the finished snowballs into colorful sprinkles or sanding sugar instead of, or in addition to, the shredded coconut.
• Dip them in chocolate: Make chocolate coconut snowballs by swapping out the white candy coating for melted chocolate. Peanut butter fan? Try your hand at peanut butter snowballs instead.
• Add nuts: Press a whole toasted almond or macadamia nut into the center of each “truffle” as you form the candy into balls, then dip them in chocolate to make a treat reminiscent of an Almond Joy candy bar.
• Toast the coconut: Lightly toast the coconut for the snowball coating, or trade sweetened coconut for the more fine and dry desiccated coconut, to give your coconut snowballs a little more crunch.

How to Store Coconut Snowballs

Coconut Snowball Tips

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Can I use unsweetened coconut flakes instead of sweetened?

You can use unsweetened coconut flakes to make the coating for this candy, no problem. Changing out the coconut in the cream cheese mixture may require some adjusting though, because the sugar helps contribute softness and moisture to the mix, so to yield the right texture you may need to add additional confectioners’ sugar.

Can you make coconut snowballs without a food processor?

The food processor does do a good amount of the work of mixing the coconut candy mixture together, but you can skip the step of chopping the shredded coconut and instead use a stand mixer or hand mixer to combine the ingredients. Make sure the butter and cream cheese are thoroughly softened first.

What’s the difference between white chocolate and white candy melts?

While neither white chocolate nor white candy melts, the kind often used to make cake pops, contain cocoa solids (the ingredient that makes true chocolate chocolate), the difference between high-quality white chocolate and more budget-friendly candy melts has entirely to do with the fat. The primary fat in white chocolate is cocoa butter, the fat extracted from the cacao beans during the chocolate-making process. It is solid at room temperature, yet melts when warmed slightly, and it has a fruity, distinctive aroma. In candy melts, the primary fat is vegetable oil, and often palm oil. It lacks that signature floral aroma, but it gives the resulting candy a more neutral flavor profile, which could be considered a positive attribute in baking candy bark because it lets the flavor of the added candies, fruit or nuts be the star.

Can you use white chocolate chips in place of white candy melts?

You can absolutely use melted white chocolate chips to coat your no-bake coconut balls. Melt them gently in short bursts in the microwave, stirring often.