12 Sweets of Christmas: #8 - Coconut Bon Bons Recipe

Quite a few years ago, and I really can't remember when, I came up with the crazy idea of not just making one or two different kinds of cookies or candies to give away during the Christmas season, but to make 12 different varieties, now known as the "12 Sweets of Christmas".  Once Thanksgiving had ended and the tree had been put up I begin the monumental task of mixing, baking, dipping and wrapping up the 12 goodies into tins to give as gifts to family and friends.  Sometimes I wonder what I have gotten myself into, but everyone seems to love my tins packed full of goodies and I think I would have a revolt on my hands if I failed to follow through on my yearly tradition.  

This year I figured I would share all my recipes and photos of each of the sweets and here is #8.

#8 Coconut Bon Bons

If you like an Almond Joy candy bar, you will love these little guys.  Full of coconut, with a dash of almond flavoring and covered in milk chocolate.  Life doesn't get much better.  

  I am not quite sure where this recipe originated.  I can clearly remember my mother and older sister making these many, many years ago.  Of all my Christmas candies these are my mother-in-law's favorite and I have to admit they are pretty darn good.

Coconut Bon Bons

1+ lb Powdered Sugar

½ C Butter, melted

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

-mix

14 oz Coconut

1 t Vanilla

1-2 t Almond

-mix and refrigerate

-form into balls and chill

- melt milk chocolate chips with 1/8th of a bar of wax and dip

Begin by mixing the powdered sugar, butter and sweetened condensed milk.

You will have to add more than 1 lb of powdered sugar as my mother's recipe only called for 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk and I use the whole can.

Mix in the vanilla, almond extract and coconut.  

Add more powdered sugar if the final mixture is extremely sticky.  Cover and chill.

Take a small amount of the dough and roll into balls between the palms of your hands.  This mixture is quite sticky and I have to wash my hands periodically.  

Place on wax paper and chill (I usually place the pan out in our cold entry.)

The candies on the left were dipped in milk chocolate
and the candies on the right were dipped in semi-sweet.

Melt the chocolate and the shaved wax in a microwave safe bowl stirring every 30 seconds.
Dip the bon bons in the melted chocolate and place on wax paper to harden.