These Almond Coconut Truffles are made from a blending of coconut and almond meal then dipped in melted chocolate for a delightful dessert, after-school treat, or to give as gifts.
Mounds Bars were one of my favorite treats at our weekly movie theater adventures. Sitting in the dark, waiting for the cartoons and the movies, nibbling on the candies to make them last. Inevitably I needed to refuel between movies. 🙂 These Almond Coconut Truffles are even better and definitely would make it through both movies!
When I was a kid, I wasn’t crazy about the whole almonds in Almond Joy candies. But as I grew older, I learned to love the crunch of the nuts. When I was thinking about making a homemade version of these candies, I went cupboard diving to see what I had on hand.
I didn’t have any whole almonds but I did have almond meal so instead of a whole nut, I added ground almonds to the coconut. Coconut infused with the flavor of almonds. The texture of a Mounds Bar with the flavors of an Almond Joy – these truffles are the best of both worlds!
Both Mounds and Almond Joys are gluten-free, but these truffles are so easy to make you should give them a try. That way you can control the ingredients and use the ones that are best for you and your family. If you don’t want to use the almond meal or have an allergy, you can leave it out or use hazelnut meal instead.
One of my favorite baking ingredients is vanilla paste – and you can see the vanilla seeds (they look like grains of pepper) in the close up shots. It adds so much flavor.
Another favorite ingredient is Lyle’s Golden Syrup, a liquid sweetener made from pure cane sugar. It has a lovely subtle caramel essence and is naturally a beautiful deep golden color and is a great alternative to corn syrup in recipes. The Golden Syrup makes the centers of these candies lightly colored. If you prefer to have a pure white center, use light corn syrup instead.
Because the centers are made with dried unsweetened coconut, the texture will continue to get better as they absorb more of the moisture. I like to make them a day or two before I plan to serve them. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled if you want to give them as gifts.
When I was getting ready to dip the centers, I used a trick I learned when working with Pam Anderson of Three Many Cooks. In preparation for a dinner party at their Big Traveling Potluck, I had the task of dipping a couple flats of strawberries in chocolate. Pam adds a little coconut oil to the chocolate as it melts, which helps keep it liquid longer and makes it easier to coat the fruits evenly.
I used the same technique with these truffles and it worked like a charm. Even when dipping icy cold candies in the melted chocolate, it didn’t seize!
If you are making a lot of these (you can easily double the recipe) you will probably want to reheat the melted chocolate at least once during the dipping. This will make sure the chocolate flows around the candy evenly, giving you beautifully coated truffles.
There is another trick I’ve learned from chocolate professionals. Always wear plastic gloves when working with chocolate so you don’t leave any fingerprints on the candies. I wore gloves throughout the dipping process and when I was removing the toothpicks, but I took them off and forgot to put them back before moving the candies to the platter for the photos. For perfect candy, don’t forget the gloves!
I hope you give these Almond Coconut Truffles a try and enjoy every single bite! Have a wonderful Chocolate Monday!
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Ingredients needed for Almond Coconut Truffles:
- Unsweetened coconut, almond meal, coconut oil
- Lyle’s golden syrup or light Karo, powdered sugar
- Vanilla, salt, semisweet chocolate chips
PRO Tip:
If you don’t want to use toothpicks to dip the truffles, you can use a dipping fork, other dipping tool, or regular fork. Just scrape the excess chocolate off the bottom of each truffle before setting them on the Silpat or parchment.
How to make Almond Coconut Truffles:
- In a food processor, combine the coconut, almond meal, coconut oil, golden syrup, vanilla, and salt, processing 2 to 3 minutes until it forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl
- Use a small scoop to form into balls about 1 tablespoon each, about 18 pieces and place on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet; use damp hands to press them together into smooth, round balls
- Gently insert a toothpick in each piece for dipping and freeze for 15 to 30 minutes or until solid; melt the chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring after each heating, until completely melted and smooth
- Holding the toothpick, dip each piece one at a time into the melted chocolate and very gently scrape off the excess chocolate before setting back on the baking sheet; continue dipping the remaining truffles and set the tray in the freezer until completely set
- With latex gloves on your hands, very gently remove the toothpicks; there will be extra chocolate to do touchups on the truffles if you want and leftovers are great poured over ice cream
- Store, covered, at room temperature up to three days
PRO Tip:
Instead of a food processor, you could use a stand mixer, but the processor will cut the coconut into small bits that are easier to form into balls and eat.
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Gluten-Free Tips:
For Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free chocolate chips, one option is to use chocolate chips from “Enjoy Life Foods”. Because I am not dairy-sensitive I can use my favorite brand, Guittard. All their products are gluten-free, but they do process their semisweet and bittersweet chocolates on equipment that also processes milk chocolates. Avoid any similar chocolate if you are making these for someone with severe dairy allergies.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Gluten Free Almond Coconut Truffles
These Almond Coconut Truffles are made from a blending of coconut and almond meal then dipped in melted chocolate for a delightful dessert, after-school treat, or to give as gifts.
Ingredients
Candies
- 1-1/2 cups (135g) unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly packed
- 3 tbsp (16g) almond meal (Bob’s Red Mill brand is gluten-free)
- 4 tbsp (57g) virgin coconut oil, at room temperature
- 3 to 4 tbsp (59g to 78g) Lyle’s Golden Syrup or light corn syrup (Karo)
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar, optional
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla paste or extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher or fine sea salt
Chocolate Coating
- 1 cup (7 oz; 200g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tsp coconut oil, at room temperature
Instructions
- Make the Truffles: In a food processor, place the coconut, almond meal, coconut oil, golden syrup, vanilla, and salt. Process until it forms a thick paste, about 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should clean the sides of the bowl and form a ball that moves around in the processor bowl. Also, when pressed with a spatula, it should become solid. If the mixture is too thin you can add a little more coconut or almond meal and mix it in.
- Use a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion the coconut mixture into about 18 pieces, 1 tbsp each, and drop them onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Using damp hands, press each piece into a smooth, round ball. Gently insert a toothpick in the edge of each piece for dipping. Freeze for 15 to 30 minutes or until solid.
- Melt the Chocolate: Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl (preferably glass). Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring after each heating, until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth.
- Dip the Truffles: Holding the toothpick, dip each piece one at a time into the melted chocolate, using a small spatula to fill in the area around the toothpick and very gently scraping the bottom across the spatula to remove excess chocolate. Set the candy back on the lined baking sheet and continue dipping the rest of the truffles. Set the tray in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set the chocolate. When the chocolate is completely set, using gloves on your hands, carefully remove the toothpicks and place the truffles on a serving platter.
- The coconut oil helps the chocolate stay smooth and makes dipping easier. You will have more than enough to dip all the candies, and even double dip some if you want to. You can do touchups if you want once you’ve removed the toothpicks. Leftovers are great spooned over scoops of vanilla ice cream!
- If not eating immediately, store candies, covered, at room temperature for up to three days.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
For GF/DF chocolate chips, one option is to use chocolate chips from “Enjoy Life Foods”. Because I am not dairy-sensitive I can use my favorite brand Guittard. All their products are gluten-free, but they do process their semisweet and bittersweet chocolates on equipment that also processes milk chocolates. Avoid any similar chocolate if you are making these for someone with severe dairy allergies.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 144Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 0g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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