Swedish chocolate balls are a popular Swedish treat - found in every café and corner store - made with butter, oats, sugar, cocoa, and coffee. These rich treats are then rolled in coconut or pearl sugar for a sweet little bite. Alex started making them while living in Sweden and can confidently say that homemade is much better than store-bought. They're so easy to make and are totally addictive!
For some more European-style desserts, try our sourdough saffron buns, traditional German apple sheet cake with yeasted dough, or a sweet blueberry clafoutis.
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Ingredients
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- Oats: rolled oats give the best texture, but quick cook can be used in a pinch, or a mix of the two.
- Cocoa: any type of cocoa powder is good (but don't use hot chocolate mix).
- Sugar: use regular granulated sugar for the most neutral taste. For a little extra texture and a bit of caramel flavour, use golden cane sugar or replace half the white sugar with brown.
- Coconut: for sweeter chocolate balls, coat in sweetened coconut (or pearl sugar). We recommend unsweetened.
- Coffee: if you don't like coffee, it can be replaced with an equal amount of milk or water. The flavour is comparatively bland without the coffee, and these don't taste of coffee, just more strongly of chocolate.
- Make it dairy-free: use vegan butter. For this recipe, margarine in a tub can be used just as well as in block or stick form.
- Add-ins: some people like to add cocoa nibs, mini chocolate chips, and other flavourings (like almond extract) to their chocolate balls, so feel free to change it up.
Method
Step 1: mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl to combine.
Step 2: add the soft butter, coffee, and vanilla.
Step 3: mix with a spatula or your hands until the butter has fully incorporated.
Step 4: chill the mixture, then roll into small balls, coat in coconut, and store.
Top Tips
- Chill before rolling: the mixture is very soft and sticky before chilling, and is too difficult to roll into balls. Give it some time in the fridge.
- Adjust the coffee: for a stronger coffee taste, don't use more coffee – that will ruin the balance and make the balls too sticky. Simply use espresso instead of regular coffee.
- Don't skip the coconut: unless you despise coconut, the balls are truly much better with the coconut coating. It completes the balls.
Recipe Notes
While the mixture doesn't really need to be rolled into balls - you could eat it with a spoon - there is a difference when it's rolled and coated. We find pearl sugar to be far too sweet (Swedish desserts are shockingly sweet) but it is about as common as coconut.
Make the balls any size you like. Homemade are usually quite small, bite-sized, but the ones sold in cafés are typically closer to a tennis ball in size and eaten with a spoon. It's up to you!
How to Store
Storage: keep the balls in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or so.
Freezing: transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. These are pretty good frozen but are best when chilled, so thaw in the fridge before serving.
FAQ
What is a Kokosbollar?
More often called Chokladbollar in Sweden, or Havergrynkugler in Denmark, these are oat-based confectionaries made with cocoa, sugar, butter, and oats, then usually rolled in coconut. It's a newer dessert, probably from the 1940s, and very similar to Rumkugeln.
What type of coconut is best to use?
Unsweetened shredded or desiccated coconut is ideal. Sweetened can be used for sweeter balls, but flake coconut is too large here.
If you make these Chocolate Balls or any other no-bake recipes on the Baked Collective, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more baking, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Swedish Chocolate Balls (Chokladbollar)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ cup butter softened
- 2 tablespoons cold coffee or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Unsweetened shredded coconut for rolling
Instructions
- Add the oats, sugar, and cocoa to a large bowl and mix to combine.1 ½ cups rolled oats, ½ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- Add the butter, coffee, and vanilla to the bowl. Use a spatula or your hands to mix until the butter is fully incorporated.½ cup butter, 2 tablespoons cold coffee, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Chill the mixture in the fridge, covered, for about an hour. Once it's cold, roll into small balls with your hands and roll each ball in coconut.Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Store the balls in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.