Similar to Almond Joy candy, these Chewy Coconut Centers are sweet coconut candies dipped in chocolate and topped with an almond.
I am now realizing that I should have made this cookbook, Candymaking by Ruth Kendrick, my Cookbook of the Month for November!! I really want to make some dipped fondants, but reading through the recipes, I have learned that most of them are best once they’ve set for a week or longer. So needless to say, they aren’t going to be done by Christmas!! I have run out of time to make gifts for everyone anyway, so maybe I will be making New Year’s chocolates. Who says that plates of chocolates are just for Christmas, anyway?
I tried 3 recipes from the cookbook again. This time, I chose Cashew Crunch, Caramels (again, but different recipe) and Chewy Coconut Centers. They were all delicious, but today I’m going to share these Chewy Coconut Centers with you.
This candy recipe si the one I originally thought I was making when I made the Shaggy Dogs. I didn’t end up making these the first time, but knew that I still wanted to make them – and I’m SO glad that I did!
These taste so much like an Almond Joy – but better!! I didn’t expect them to taste the way they do because they are made with marshmallows, but you don’t taste the marshmallow. I ate the last one this morning – 3 days after they were originally made – and I could vaguely taste the marshmallow, but maybe it’s just because I knew it was there. I had to improvise a bit on this – the recipe calls for 12 large marshmallows, but I only had mini marshmallows. I did a quick search online and found a website that said there are 13 mini marshmallows to every big marshmallow. I went with this, but I think it was off. The mixture was still quite runny, even after refrigerating it for about an hour. I ended up adding quite a bit of extra coconut so that I would be able to form them, and even then, they were very sticky and hard to form. I somehow made them work, placed a roasted almond on top and dipped the bottoms in milk chocolate. I would highly recommend the dipping part. They were still quite sticky, and would have been hard to handle and plate if they wouldn’t have been dipped. There is another recipe in this book that says they “remind you of the store- bought candy bar” but these really did remind me of Almond Joys. If you prefer, you can leave the almond off, dip them in dark chocolate, and call them homemade Mounds. Either way, I would recommend them!
Chewy Coconut Centers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 12 large marshmallows
- 1 3/4 cups coconut
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Tempered dipping chocolate
Instructions
- Line a 15″x10″ jelly roll pan with waxed paper, set aside. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine corn syrup and marshmallows. Place over medium heat and stir until the marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in coconut, vanilla and almond extract. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until mixture is cool enough to handle.
- Butter hands. Shape mixture into small walnut-sized balls. Place on baking sheet, flattening each ball slightly. When cool, dip partially or completely in chocolate.
- Makes about 50 centers (I only got about half this – although this is what the recipe says!!)
Shannon says
I have tried the coconut chews before, and they are fantastic! I was wondering if you could e-mail me the entire recipe? Thanks
Deborah says
@Shannon, all of my cookbooks are in storage right now, or I’d totally email you the recipe. I’ll send it over as soon as they are out of storage – hopefully sometime in January. Sorry I don’t have it right now!
dipped strawberries says
They all look so adorable !
my food affair says
Hi Deborah, I just made these caramels, they are absolutely wonderful!!! I had a hard time cutting them into perfect cubes like yours…maybe i didn’t boil the mixture enough?! -kk
Emiline says
All of the candy looks delicious.
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Anj says
Those Chewy Coconut Centers look so festive. I think I might have to try this one for sure.
Sylvia says
They all looks delicious, but I am absolutly mad about caramels..Yummy
Kevin says
The chewy coconut centers sounds so good! bookmarked
Miss Scarlett says
Oh my goodness! Coconut Centers were one of my grandmother’s annual Christmas treats. She made them every year but I haven’t gotten the recipe yet. I’m gonna try these and see if they are close. They certainly look like hers! Although she just dipped hers in chocolate – no nut on top. I heart Almond Joys and Mounds so either way – I think I’ll like them:)
glamah16 says
How weird about the thermometer! The cashew crunch sounds good with that tofee.Is it similar to peanut brittle? That was a disaster for me once.
Aamena says
the caramel looks so good.. and coconut and chocolate, it reminds me of Bounty! too bad you dont get marshmallows here…
Mary says
Oh you are so brave to make candy. I wouldn’t have any left to give out. The caramels look amazing and I LOVE coconut!
Cheryl says
That is like a picture perfect caramel.
And the two with the coconut. My husband would eat them all before I could take a picture
The Caked Crusader says
you have made me salivate! I love coconut
Deborah says
April, I used Shirley’s Wonderful Caramels (pg 63). I just did a half batch, and it still made a ton of caramels!
April says
They all look wonderful! I think that I will have to try the caramels. Which recipe did you use?