Chocolate Coconut Bliss Balls
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These coconut bliss balls are sweet and delicious bites of coconut, dipped in dark chocolate and sea salt.
The beautiful thing about these coconut bliss balls is that there’s no baking involved, and in just 25 minutes, you’ll have a delightful dessert or sweet snack in front of you. The tricky part is not eating the whole plate of these tempting little coconut bites in one sitting!
3 reasons to make these coconut bliss balls this week
- They make a delicious dessert or snack.
- Kiddos will love them.
- No baking, no fuss: Unlike most sweet treats, these coconut bliss balls are a no-fuss situation. All you need is a food processor or blender and your fridge.
Ingredients for coconut bliss balls
To make these coconut energy balls you’ll need 5 simple ingredients:
- Finely shredded coconut: Use 1 ½ cups of shredded coconut for the base of the energy balls. Plus, have a bit more on hand to garnish the top of each sphere once you’ve dipped them in chocolate. Yum!
- Liquid honey: Use 3 tablespoons of liquid honey to help the shredded coconut stick together and add some natural sweetness to the recipe.
- Coconut oil: Melt 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and add it to the food processor you’ll use to bring the ingredients together. Using coconut oil will help give the bliss balls a chewy texture and add even more coconut-y flavor to the mix.
- Pure vanilla extract: 1 ½ teaspoons will give a warmth and floral note to the coconut energy balls, making them even more inviting.
- Dark chocolate chips: You will melt ½ cup of dark chocolate chips to dunk and coat the bliss balls. The chocolate will firm up as it cools and add the perfect exterior to the soft and chewy middle.
Substitutions and Additions
Coconut bliss balls are delicious as they are – it’s right there in the name – they truly are bliss. That said, you can make these your own with substitutions and/or additions to the recipe. Here are some ideas:
- Citrus: To give your coconut energy balls a citrus pop, you can grate some orange zest or lemon zest into the mixture. Or, try these coconut lemon energy balls!
- Nuts: If you want to add some protein into the mix, you can add finely chopped cashews, almonds, or macadamia nuts into the mix.
Recipe FAQ
What can I use instead of coconut oil?
The coconut oil both complements the shredded coconut in this bliss ball recipe and helps the balls to stick together as it hardens when it’s cold. Therefore, we don’t recommend replacing the coconut oil.
Can I freeze energy balls?
You can! Store them in a sturdy, airtight container (so they don’t get squished in the freezer) and they will keep for about 6 weeks.
Coconut Bliss Balls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups finely shredded coconut (plus a little extra for garnish)
- 3 tablespoons liquid honey
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the coconut, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla to a food processor, and process on high until the mixture sticks together. Form 12 1-inch balls, pressing them firmly with your hands. Don't worry if some coconut oil squishes out. This is normal. Also, don't fret about making them perfect at this point, just get them to stick together. Place the coconut balls in the fridge to harden for at least 1 hour.1 ½ cups finely shredded coconut, 3 tablespoons liquid honey, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Gently melt the chocolate over very low heat. You could also use a microwave if you have one. Be very careful not to heat the chocolate quickly as it can burn and the consistency will change.½ cup dark chocolate chips
- Take the balls out of the fridge and roll them in your hands again if you want them to be perfectly round. You can press quite firmly on them at this point.
- Working with one ball at a time, drop the ball into the chocolate and use a spoon to pour the chocolate over the ball so that it is completely covered in chocolate. Scoop the ball out of the chocolate using a fork and tap the fork on the edge of the pan to shake off any excess chocolate. Put the ball back on the tray, using another fork if necessary to help slide the ball off the fork. Continue until all the balls are covered in chocolate then sprinkle some coconut over top. We like these best from the fridge, but you can also keep them at room temperature.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More energy ball recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of my dessert recipes!
My coconut mixture wasn’t holding together very well (I’m assuming because I didn’t use honey or maple syrup, or I didn’t mix it long enough in my cuisinart), so I refrigerated it for about twenty minutes and then rolled it into balls. Worked perfectly!
The sweetener is what makes it hold together. SO awesome to know that putting it into the fridge for a bit works, too!
When you say ‘finely shredded coconut’ do you mean what we call dessicated coconut?
Finely shredded coconut is slightly larger and has a little more moisture than desiccated coconut. If you have desiccated coconut on hand, it will work in this recipe. 🙂
assuming i’m using the solid coconut oil and not the liquidy version?
Coconut oil will melt at 24 degrees (76F) so will be liquid in a warm house and solid if your home is cooler. If your coconut oil is solid, melt it first on the stove top or in a microwave. 🙂
Hi, I was wondering if these were kept in an air tight container how long do you think they would last before going bad?
At least a week, but probably much longer. They also freeze well. 🙂
I have to admit that these are wonderful. I really have never liked dark chocolate, but there are so many flavors going on here that it isn’t overpowering. I rolled some in crushed almonds and left some just dipped in chocolate and they were delish. My husband LOVED them. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
That makes me so happy to hear!!!
Being diabetic and needing to lose weight, how many of these can I have a day? Anyone know? It takes 6 months to see a specialist here. Had the labs…fasting sugar very high..and have to wait till June to see her again.
I am jonesing for chocolate, and sweets! Figured one like this would be OK?
I totally agree, that sugar dragon is horrible, but I know you can do it!!
Thanks for your encouragement, Debbie! It’s such a beast, isn’t it?!
I made this recipe and it is very good. Taste like a mounds bar covered in dark chocolate. I did however have great difficulty with the dark chocolate, it stayed very thick. I had to use two spoons and put the coconut balls in the chocolate then try to get as much as I could off before putting on wax paper. I have made dipping chocolate before, but used parafin wax in the chocolate, but was hesitate to as I am on a “natural” food diet (gluten free / paleo. . I ruined two bags of chocolate before pulling out my double boiler, and then it still was too thick. I even read to put some vegetable oil in it so I tried adding some (after frustration set in) that helped a “little”. The balls still taste delicious. HELP – I would love to make them again. What is the trick to getting the chocolate thin to be able to work with it?
I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you had with the chocolate. I’ve found (through lots of chocolate dipping and ganache making) that the quality of the chocolate really effects the outcome. I sometimes try to save a few bucks by using chocolate chips and it always results in thick and hard to manage chocolate. It’s frustrating!
The best thing to add to thin out thick chocolate is either cream or coconut milk. If it gets to the point where the chocolate is really misbehaving, sometimes a quick whizz through a small blender (like a Magic Bullet) can help.
Hope that helps!
I would add a little coconut oil to it. Thins it out nicely.
Definitely guilt-free here! Hope you’re having a great start to 2016!!
Same here! I could eat them everyday. 🙂
Hi there
I am wondering if these could be made ahead… frozen maybe? I am planning on having them as part of mix of sweets for a catering job and and hoping to make some things ahead of time… if it changes their deliciousness I will not do it!
I have never made them ahead of time, but I suspect they would freeze very well. The only thing I would be cautious of if you are serving them is the chocolate. Chocolate that has been frozen can sometimes turn whiteish. It wouldn’t affect the taste, only the appearance. You could always make the balls ahead then dip them the day before.