Serves: Makes ~18 balls
Approx cost: €
Approx calories (per one): ~100
Approx preparation time: 30 mins
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #0B0B61;”]It’s been a little longer than usual since my last update, though I hope I can make up for that today with a really easy recipe for a traditional Swedish cake. You’ll see these in just about every café in Sweden, right alongside the dammsugare and kanelbullar in various incarnations – sometimes rolled in chocolate pieces, sometimes in coconut, and sometimes in nib sugar – and I have a borderline addiction to the things! So what is this thing in my post today? A-ha, Wikipedia to the rescue:
Chokladboll (literally “chocolate ball”) is a popular Swedish pastry. The chokladboll is usually slightly smaller than a golfball. The chokladboll consists of oatmeal, sugar, coffee, cocoa, butter, and sometimes a pinch of vanilla sugar, which is mixed to a compact mass. Balls are formed and then rolled in nib sugar, shredded coconut, or sprinkles.
So, now you know what a chokladboll is – The Wikipedia page is actually quite interesting and gives you a bit of history about the ball and some other names it has – I recommend a read when you have a moment.
There are a whole load of ways of making these, and everyone seems to have a different idea on exactly how they should be made. Some believe that you should add in stale cake crumbs for a better texture. I’ve made a few batches of these in my life – I know I can still do better, but these at least aren’t bad. I made a slight error while making these and sloshed in WAY too much coffee, so the mixture was completely liquid. If this happens to you then you can either add more oats or crush in some digestive biscuits / graham cracker-type biscuits which will save the day admirably!
Ingredients
- 200g Oats
- 120g Sugar
- 100g Butter
- 3 tbsps Cocoa Powder
- 3 tbsps Strong Coffee
- 2 tbsps Honey
- 100g Shredded, Dried Coconut
Instructions
- Place half the oats, the butter, the cocoa powder and the sugar into a food processor and blend together until the oats are well chopped up and the mixture is starting to clump. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this manually in a bowl, although bear in mind that the oats will have a different texture and be more prominent in flavour at the end.
- Add in the coffee, the honey and the rest of the oats and continue to blend for another 30 seconds until you’ve reached a thick paste. If you’ve added too much coffee, or the mixture is too liquid, bulk it out with some extra oats or some digestive biscuit / graham crackers and blend in until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer to a bowl. If you like you can place this bowl in the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes or so. This isn’t entirely necessary, though it does make the mixture more manageable.
- Pour out the shredded coconut into a plate or dish. Pinch off lumps of the mixture, a bit smaller than a golf ball. Roll into a ball between your hands and then roll in the coconut.
- You can eat them immediately, although it’s best if you chill them slightly to firm them up before eating. Try rolling in nib sugar, or coating in melted chocolate for extra nom-qualities! Enjoy 🙂
Charles, these balls look gorgeous and remind me of my childhood. As I child I used to make chocolate balls almost with the same ingredients (the procedure was a bit different though) and it was the only time I loved oats 😉 I actually still sometimes make them…
I like so much when you post Swedish recipes (even though I haven't made any of them, I am ashamed to admit).
Thank you Sissi – reading some others' comments too it seems that this type of thing is quite common in a number of countries. There's a company in Sweden called "Delicato" which makes baked goods. The best are the "Delicato Balls" like these. So luxurious and delicious. I'm still trying to hit on that secret formula, although these aren't bad 😀
Hmm, we used to do something like that when I was small as well! Though as far as I remember we used cookie crumbles instead of oatmeal. And we never eat them immediately, always put them in the freezer for a bit to make them firmer ) This is so tasty, maybe I will make some on the weekend…
My wife's father said that a common ingredient when these were/are made in bakeries is left over cake, so I think they're a good thing to make with "scraps"! 😀
Wow! Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but when I was a child I remember every confectioner's shop made balls with leftover cakes and my mum would tell me not to buy them because according to her they would sweep from the floor the cakes which have fallen down… I have tried to recreate this recipe making "Thrifty Truffles", I really liked them and they are a great way to use up leftover cakes (or if someone offers you a cake you don't like). I make them whenever I have some leftover cake.
It's a great idea to use the leftover cakes )) In my childhood we used "Kurabie" cookies, don't know if it's something international though, must be. Its a butter cookie that crumbles into pieces easily. Rly tasty)
Mmmm……. the stuff of addiction for sure. But, the oatmeal content means they're healthy, right?? Your chokladbollar look amazing Charles and I like the sizing of these little babies. I think I'll try them in December when I do my best sweet baking under the guise of Christmas 🙂 I'm quite certain we'd all love them.
Totally healthy, yeah. The oats totally negate all the butter and sugar so don't worry about it 😉 Mm, Christmas – can't wait for that – going to do a whole load of yummies then! 🙂
Lovely looking chocolate confections.
Thanks a lot! A Swedish baking company called Delicato makes a similar cake which is coated in thin chocolate and then coconut. So delicious!
So cute! My mom would love these (minus the coconut). I'm always baking things my dad loves (he and I have similar tastes), so maybe I should make these for my mom as a surprise one of these days. I'm sure the kids would help her polish them off as well. 😉
Thanks Kristy! I'm amazed by how many people dislike coconut actually. What's to dislike? It's so tasty!!! Anyway – if you can get nib sugar then roll it in this instead. It works just as well and is just as traditional! 🙂
Never heard of nib sugar but there is chocolate shot or sprinkles available at every Bulk Barn in Canada. 🙂
Ok, just googled it and it looks kind of familiar. But I'd probably just use coconut since I seem to be one of the few people who actually LIKES the stuff. One of my favourite 'magic pie' recipes is the coconut one.
Original Magic Coconut Pie (serves 6)
No crust coconut Pie. Just mix everything and you get a coconut pie.
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Melted butter
3/4 cups Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1 tsp Vanilla extract
pinch of salt
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together with a whisk or hand blender. Pour into a buttered and floured 9-inch wide pie dish. Bake in a 350 deg F oven for 40 min or until golden brown and set.
It's usually called pearl sugar, although I've never seen it for sale in France – I need to stock up on it from Sweden, haha! Thanks for the recipe… it looks wonderful! Just up my street I think! 🙂
Did someone say chocolate? You know if its chocolate, I am right here.. ready to try it :). These chocolate balls look amazing Charles. They look so funny and yummy as a snack too
Thanks Kay. They're a lot of fun, and a great dish for both coffee-time and parties alike! It's hard not to like them 🙂
Wow! these oaty balls look lovely…love the chocolate and the coconut…havent been to see your space in a while…and see some lovely recipes here…glad to be back…
Thanks Shilpa! Glad you're enjoying the recipes. I'm looking forward to seeing you active on Baking Devils again! 🙂
They're kind of like rum balls, but with coffee. I love it!
Indeed – that was my first thought the first time I had them. Very yummy and customisable!
Oh my god, these are so healthy! 🙂 The truffles I make are from bashed biscuits, cocoa, and nestle condensed milk! I was wanting to post a recipe for that, but I would prefer to try these instead! 😀 Thanks for sharing…
Oh my God, now you made me want to try yours, haha! Promise me you'll post a recipe for your version? Dying to see them!
Of course! Next time I make truffles, I'll post the recipe. 🙂 They look very much like yours (on the outside at least 😛 ) but I'm assuming there's a very different taste.
On a completely different note, I can't seem to subscribe to your blog for new posts. Am I listed as a subscriber on your end? I kept getting error messages when I tried… :-s
Thanks Fati! Looking forward to seeing them. Thank you so much for telling me about that email subscription failure. I'm such an idiot…! It must have been broken for weeks :p It's fixed now – please try again if you can?!
Nawww… I tried it now, it's working great, I've just subscribed! 🙂
I am instantly drawn to your Swedish recipes, Charles. The names are just so fun to say!! I've made your Tuppkaka three times already, each an even bigger success. This recipe looks right up my alley, and with the oats, I can surely convince myself that they are healthy! They look like little truffles, but I bet when you bite into them the texture is incredible. I will add these to my Christmas baking this year…after we get back from Morocco!
Thanks Eva – You've inspired me to make more Swedish recipes. There's a whole load of stuff (with wonderfully odd names) I can make so I'll definitely post more! When will you leave for/return from Morocco? I'm really jealous… looking forward to seeing photos!
Hi Charles, we're leaving November 1. JT's done all the planning and booking, and I haven't had a chance to think about it. Next week I'll start putting together my clothes so I can really (try) to limit the number of shoes I take. Sadly our stop over at Charles de Gaulle is only 4 hours, otherwise I would have loved to stay over in Paris a few extra days (the ticket price would have doubled to do so!) I am not too sure about the state of wifi in Morocco, apparently most of our hotels have it. I will try to post some photos as we go along, particularly the cooking class in Marrakech.
PS. I meant to say that your intro photo is spectacular! It's pretty dark where we are, so I've had to play with my AV and TV setting in my SLR. A photographer friend also suggested to set your ISO settings as high as 800 or even 1600. I have had great results with this technique, even when it is pitch dark outside (the photos of the Slices of Moroccan Corn Bread were taken when it's been very dark outside and intentional limited indoor lighting).
Haha, interesting you should say that – I actually hated that photo, but it was the best I could get. It was very dark here too, but shutter speed isn't so critical for me because I drag my giant tripod into the kitchen. Personally I'd try to avoid high ISO settings because the photos can look really grainy (which is good sometimes, but often you end up losing detail in the shot). Some cameras are great at handling high ISOs though – high-end Nikons do a great job. My Canon 400D not so much. I have a 50mm f1.8 lens which is great for food because it allows you to play with depth of field a lot
I have the Canon Rebel and it's a couple of years old now. I have a 50mm lens too, at work we use 24-85mm lens…way better depth of field than my 50mm. Since it's just a hobby, I am not bothering to upgrade…yet, anyway. I don't mind grainy…adds mood to the shot!
Is that the Digital Rebel XTi? If so I think it's the same as mine. It's sold as the 400D in Europe. To be honest, the body is great. Perfectly fine. The lenses are generally the thing which makes the hugest difference so if I was going to drop some cash upgrading anything it would be a new lens.
I'm really loving these, they look delicious. That's even coming from the chocolate hater (me)! It's probably for the best though because otherwise, I have no doubts that I'd eat the entire batch in one sitting, ha!
I can't imagine what it must be like to hate chocolate. Good coffee, good chocolate – two of lifes' greatest luxuries! 😀 Thanks Caroline – too bad you're not a big choc fan though – you'll never get to appreciate the splendour of chokladboll!
These look great! I'd definitely go with rolling them in some sort of chocolate…. I love my chocolate a little too much to miss out on an opportunity to add it into something 🙂 The oats and coffee almost make them a breakfast treat, right? 😉
Haha, well, these ones aren't too sweet, so they probably would make a half decent breakfast dish. Dip them into a bowl of hot chocolate or something… yummy 😀
Charles, these look gorgeous! Sort of an uncooked chocolate oatmeal cookie. I love oatmeal! And your idea of throwing in some crushed digestive biscuits sounds good to me – I really love digestive biscuits.
Thanks Jean. My wife was indignant when I blended up the oats too much, and wasn't a fan of the crushed biscuits. I guess they're not quite so traditionally Swedish then but they're still good! Try them with and without, and with coarse oats, and well ground – see what you think!