Bon Bons With Coconut
Featuring chocolate, pecans, and coconut, these homemade bon bons are an irresistible bite-sized treat or gift to make for family and friends these holidays.
I’m so excited to share my Grandmama’s coffee can bon bons with coconut recipe with you today. This recipe is in my first cookbook, along with the story of why they are so special to me. My Grandmama used to make these bon bons every Christmas and save her coffee cans all year long in which to store them. In the lead-up to Christmas, she would spend the better part of a day mixing, rolling, and dipping these precious little confections. Now you can do the same with your family these holidays.
I love these bon bons for multiple reasons, but all you need to know is that they’re easy to make and taste absolutely delicious! This treat is a triple threat, as its ingredients include chocolate, pecans, and coconut. A flavor combination made in heaven if you ask me. Just try and stop at one, because once you take a bite of these indulgent morsels, I just know you’ll want another… and another!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chopped pecans
- Butter
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Chocolate almond bark
- Sweetened flaked coconut
- Confectioner’s sugar
Melt the margarine/butter and then dump everything except the chocolate bark (which is not melted at this point) into a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
This is a double recipe you’re seeing here. I don’t recommend doing this in this size bowl.
Form all of your dough into balls one way or another.
What Can I Use To Scoop These Out?
Now, Grandmama and Lela (my great grandmother) rolled these all out by hand into perfect little one-inch balls. However, I am just using a cookie dough scoop for mine.
Once you have your little bon bon balls made, cover them and refrigerate for at least an hour.
After they are good and cold, melt your chocolate bark in the microwave by breaking the large pieces up in a bowl and microwaving for 45-second to 1-minute intervals, stirring in between each, until melted and creamy.
Should I Use A Double Boiler?
You can also melt this in a double broiler. I’m gun shy about suggesting folks do a lot of things in the microwave because microwave ovens vary so incredibly much so we really rely on our own judgment when it comes to using them.
Dip your bon bons in the melted chocolate.
How To Dip Into The Chocolate
There are a hundred different ways to do this and you go with whatever works best for you. For me, I just put a bon bon on a fork, dip it in, then lift it out and tap the fork on the bowl lightly to remove excess before placing my chocolate-dipped bon bon on some waxed paper to harden.
You can also use toothpicks as well if you like.
So see, Grandmama made these perfect little coffee can bon bons. But when I make them, I think we need to rename them. Christy’s Great Big Gobby Bon Bons! If Grandmama was here, she would laugh, and then pop a whole one in her mouth.
If you are making for a holiday like Christmas then store these in the fridge until you are ready to gift (or eat) them.
Storage
Store your bon bons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also store them in the for up to three months and simply thaw them in the fridge before consuming them. Some people actually prefer to enjoy them from frozen, so do what works for you.
Recipe Notes
- While you can simply snack on or gift your chocolate bon bons, you can also use the treats to decorate cupcakes or a chocolate cake to take it to another level of decadence. Alternatively, enjoy them with a nice big scoop of .
- Instead of pecans, use chopped walnuts. Or if you have a nut allergy, omit them altogether and opt for a filling using chopped dried cherries.
- Another option is to swap the chopped nuts for a cup of creamy peanut butter.
- You can also substitute the chocolate almond bark for chocolate chips, , or rich if you prefer.
- If making your coconut bon bons as snacks for the kids, you can roll them in sprinkles for a fun treat! As a bonus, why not roll them in green and red for the holidays?
Recipe FAQs
Where does the term bon bon originate?
Bon bon comes from the French word bon, which means good. They date back to 19th-century France and eventually made their way to America. Bon bons are a varied dessert and can be fruity, creamy, and nutty. They are not exclusively made with chocolate, like a truffle.
Here are more of my favorite indulgent chocolate recipes:
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Pecan and Chocolate Pie Recipe
Chocolate Pound Cake with Fudge Glaze
Ingredients
- 2 pounds confectioner's sugar
- 1+2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
- 1/2 cup margarine or butter melted
- 1 package chocolate almond bark for coating
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the almond bark together, either with your hands or an electric mixer.2 pounds confectioner's sugar, 1+2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, 2 cups chopped pecans, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup margarine or butter
- Form bon bon dough into balls either with hands (for smaller ones) or cookie dough scoop (for great big gobby ones). Place on a cookie sheet and cover. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Melt chocolate bark by heating in the microwave at 45-second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth and creamy. Dip bon bons into chocolate and place on wax paper to harden.1 package chocolate almond bark
- Store in refrigerator until ready to eat or gift.
Makes about 4 dozen, 1-inch bon bons
Nutrition
I love seeing all the stuff on your kitchen sink! It makes me feel that just a “commoner“ like me can be an inspiration to others like you are to so many!
Your Grandmama and my Mamaw must have been related. They were a thrifty generation and I learned a lot from mine. We also had these bonbons in coffee cans. Those coffee cans came in handy for lots of things…saving change, bacon grease, cooking fruitcake in them. maybe this Christmas I’ll make bonbons in memory of both our grandparents. Thank you for the memories.
This is the closet to my grandmas recipe. I would suggest maybe editing to add “it’ll be incredible sticky and balls won’t form at first, give it at least a minute for the dough to firm” I was freaking out. I was able to go back and make my globs into perfect balls. My sweet granny passed 4 years ago and my mom said this was what she remembers the recipe being. I’m surprising all of the family with them at Christmas. Thank you so much.
I hope everyone enjoys the BonBons and I will try to get it edited 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion.
My mom made these when I was little (I’m 68 now), and I seem to remember the wax usage. But some of hers were tinted with food coloring, so I don’t know what she used for dipping. I was never very interested in them because I hated coconut. Now I wish I had paid more attention. I still hate fresh coconut, but like toasted (like Zagnut candy bars). I enjoy your recipes and stories. Keep up the good work!
A lot of times they thinned their chocolate with a little paraffin for dipping. I bet that is what you remember 🙂 Thank you so much for being here Shanna, I really appreciate your sweet spirit and encouragement!
I don’t fight the Butter/Margarine fight but I do not margarine is bad for you. I have a medical problem called “Allergic to Modern life”. I kid you not. I had a doctor who said I was and I have the allergy list to prove it. 6 pages front and back in a size 12 font. As for what I hear on the internet I never believe it . Just like I don’t believe what I hear on the TV but I have a friend who home schools her children. I was told by mentioned above doctor to try a experiment. I told my friend and she said she would do it with her boys. Since I did not want to waste my money on margarine I let her do it. She put the butter and margarine out on a plates in her garage and the butter melted but the margarine didn’t. They watched it for about a month and the boys got tired of it and they forgot about it. 6 months later the butter was gone and the margarine was still there nothing would touch it. She’s a convert to butter also. I didn’t eat margarine simply because I did not like the taste. We buy Amish butter and it really is a totally different animal even to the other butters you buy.
Thanks, these are a must try
I do hope you get the chance to try them Mary!!!
I still save my glass jars…they’re useful and honestly a big old bargain for food storage!! I love em and have been seen buying B&M Baked Beans (and other food as well) for their cute jars…well we eat the beans but you know what I mean…it is an incentive…
🙂 I understand completely!!!