Swedish Chocolate Balls (Chokladbollar)
Swedish Chocolate Balls are full of chewy oats, butter, cocoa, and finished with shredded coconut. Hazelnuts are added here to give a nutty flavor to this traditional and gluten-free treat!
Chokladbollar or Chocolate Balls, are found in most Swedish bakeries and cafés yet they are very popular to make at home because they are so easy. The traditional Swedish Chocolate Balls have lots of creamy butter and rich cocoa flavor with a touch of coffee, offset by the chewy oats. You will find them rolled in coconut, pearl sugar, nuts or other toppings and heaped on platters atop bakery counters. Some of them are quite large in size and definitely more than a mouthful! My children love hazelnuts, so I created a version that adds in a touch of nuttiness reminiscent of Nutella 🙂
The Ingredients:
You will want to use a very good quality butter in this recipe. Because the balls are not baked, the fresh butter flavor will really come through. I love Finlandia butter, imported from Finland, for its fresh cream flavor. Use gluten-free oats if you are concerned about gluten and roast the hazelnuts first to remove skins and enhance flavor (see explanation for roasting hazelnuts here). I also use a fine, organic cane sugar and natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
The Process:
Grind together the oats and hazelnuts in a food processor until they are fine but not powdery.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the cocoa powder, coffee, vanilla and salt. The mixture should be very creamy.
Add the ground oats and hazelnuts to the bowl and mix until well combined. You should be able to squeeze the mixture together with your fingers.
Scoop the mixture into even portions using a small cookie scoop or spoon. I usually go for walnut or golf ball-size. Use your hands to roll into smooth balls and finish with a coating of unsweetened coconut, ground hazelnuts or Swedish pearl sugar.
The Swedish Chocolate Balls should be stored in a container in the refrigerator but brought to room temperature for serving at the best texture and flavor. These Chokladbollar make a wonderful Fika treat, snack or dessert anytime! For a vegan version of Swedish Chocolate balls, see the recipe notes below or find the recipe here.
Swedish Chocolate Balls (Chokladbollar)
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free oats
- ½ cup roasted hazelnuts, skins removed
- 4 ounces good-quality unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup natural cane sugar
- ¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons cooled strong coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Shredded unsweetened coconut, for rolling
Instructions
- Using a food processor, grind together the oats and hazelnuts until fine but not powdery.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder, cooled coffee, vanilla and salt and mix until creamy.
- Add the oat mixture to the bowl and combine well. The mixture should come together when squeezed with your fingertips.
- Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, portion the mixture evenly into walnut or golfball-sized pieces and use your hands to roll into smooth balls.
- Roll each ball in some of the shredded coconut. Ground hazelnuts or Swedish pearl sugar also make nice coatings.
- Store the Swedish Chocolate Balls in a container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature for serving.
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