Are you a fan of Almond Joys, or Mounds? I remember commercials way back in the day that compared them by saying, "sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't!" Well, even if you don't love either or you have no recollection of the commercials, you are going to fall for these little babies. I call them Christmas Joys because I only make them during the holidays, and they seriously bring joy. Just one bite equals pure joy. No nuts here, just my favorite extract of all time.....almond!
Christmas Joys
Makes 4 dozen
1 (14 oz.) package sweetened shredded coconut
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
5 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 lb. dark, semi-sweet, or milk chocolate
In a mixing bowl, combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, and almond extract. Stir with a wooden spoon or your hands until combined. Scoop into small balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for 2 hours. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, slowly, stirring every 30 seconds. One by one, dip the frozen coconut balls into the chocolate, then place on clean parchment. Freeze until chocolate is set. Keep refrigerated.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need a bag of coconut, can of sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, almond extract, and a pound of good quality chocolate to melt.
In a mixing bowl, combine the bag of coconut, sweetened condensed milk,......
......5 cups powdered sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract.
Stir until fully combined. I usually end up mixing it with my hands.
Scoop into small balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 2 hours.
When frozen, prepare your chocolate by melting in the microwave until smooth.
Dip the frozen coconut balls in the chocolate one by one, dripping off any excess.
Place the candies on a clean sheet of parchment.
Once they are all covered in chocolate, put back in the freezer until fully set, then keep refrigerated.
These little "mounds" of "joy" (see my pun there.....) are truly wonderful. Definitely in my top three of favorite Christmas candies!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe I received years ago from my good friend Donna Gregory