Swedish Chocolate Balls (Chokladbollar)
These fun, no-bake chocolate treats from Sweden make an excellent afternoon pick-me-up alongside a coffee.
These chocolate balls are commonly served in cafés up and down Sweden and are regularly enjoyed within the ‘fika’ afternoon coffee tradition. They’re made with oats, once the staple Swedish grain, which I recommend dry-toasting first to unleash their full, flavourful potential. Combined with bloomed cocoa, coffee and a skiff of coconut, the mixture can be formed into balls and rolled in pearl sugar, coconut or chopped, toasted nuts. If you dearly insist on not having any coconut whatsoever in this recipe, you can simply replace the quantity of coconut with the same amount of oats. Happy ‘fika’! Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (makes 12-15 balls)
150g rolled oats
125g butter, softened
80g light brown sugar
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee powder/granules
1 tsp vanilla extract
50ml boiling water
40g desiccated coconut
1/4 tsp salt
50g desiccated coconut, chopped nuts or pearl sugar, for coating
WALKTHROUGH
First we’ll toast the oats. This step is optional. Add the 150g of rolled oats to a frying pan and place it onto medium heat. Heat the oats, stirring occasionally, until they smell toasted and fragrant, about 6-7 minutes. Tip them into a bowl to cool completely before proceeding.
In a mixing bowl, combine the 125g softened butter and 80g light brown sugar. Beat these ingredients for 2-3 minutes until they are light and fluffy.
Into a small, heatproof jug or bowl, add the 3 tablespoons of cocoa, 1 tsp instant coffee, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Add 50ml of boiling water and mix to form a paste. Allow the paste to cool slightly and beat it into the butter-sugar mixture. It may slightly curdle here - do not worry.
Add the 150g toasted, cooled oats and 40g of dessicated coconut. Mix until the mixture forms a rollable, shapable dough.
Roll the dough into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll each ball onto a plate of desiccated coconut, pearl sugar or chopped nuts to coat. Place the coated balls onto a plate to cool and set at room temperature, or transfer to the fridge if it is a warm day.
Enjoy these chocolate balls with fresh coffee. They will last for up to 5 days in the fridge.
