Decadent Coconut Bonbons Recipe for Irresistible Homemade Sweets

These Coconut Bon Bons are moist, delightfully sweet, and taste wonderful when dipped in chocolate of any kind. They make a perfect homemade candy for Easter.

Calling all coconut lovers! If you adore coconut, you’ll enjoy these slightly sweet Coconut Bon Bons. Easter always makes me think of coconut — coconut pie, coconut cake, and these Coconut Bon Bons are part of that tradition. I’ve been making these small treats for years. They use desiccated coconut, a finely shredded dry coconut, reconstituted with light corn syrup in this recipe to create a chewy, moist center.

I have a fond memory of my 90-year-old father visiting at Easter: he tucked two bon bons into his mouth at once and then stuffed several more into the front pockets of his bibbed overalls. He looked like a chipmunk ready to hibernate — a reminder of how irresistible these are.

Over the years I’ve prepared these bon bons in many flavors. My two most requested remain dark chocolate and orange. Other favorites I’ve made include vanilla, strawberry, lemon, and key lime.

Note: If you prefer not to use corn syrup, I have a second Coconut Bon Bon recipe that substitutes sweetened condensed milk for the corn syrup — it produces the same delightful chew and moisture. I’ll post that alternative soon.

Before the how-to, a quick note about desiccated coconut.

Desiccated coconut is unsweetened, finely processed dry coconut from which most moisture has been removed. In this recipe the coconut is rehydrated with light corn syrup to achieve a moist, sticky consistency ideal for shaping. Desiccated coconut can be harder to find in some grocery stores, but specialist baking or cake-supply shops often stock it. If you can’t source it, you can dry unsweetened flaked coconut in a low oven and pulse it in a food processor until finely ground.

Here’s how I make the Coconut Bon Bons.

First, place the desiccated coconut in a large bowl and add the light corn syrup.

Use your hands to thoroughly combine the coconut and corn syrup until the mixture is slightly moist and tacky.

The texture should hold together when pressed but remain soft.

Roll the mixture into small balls about the size of a walnut and arrange them on a wax paper–lined baking sheet. Let them sit for about 1½ hours to firm up before dipping.

For coating, I used dark chocolate melting wafers and white chocolate chips. Melting wafers (like Ghirardelli melting wafers) melt evenly and set quickly; chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars also work. One 12-ounce bag will coat roughly 30 bon bons; this recipe makes about 35, so plan accordingly if you want to coat every piece.

Update: The dark melting wafers I used are on the sweet side. For a true bittersweet finish I prefer bittersweet chocolate chips.

Place the chocolate in a small, deep bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals, until completely smooth.

Using a dipping tool, fork, or toothpick, dip each coconut ball into the melted chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then transfer to a parchment-lined sheet to set. Once the chocolate firms, trim any excess from the bottoms with a small, sharp knife for a neat finish.

For orange-flavored bon bons, melt white chocolate chips (they tend to be thicker when melted than dark wafers), then add a few drops of pure oil flavoring such as LorAnn orange oil and a small amount of gel food coloring to reach the desired color and flavor.

Stir the flavoring and gel coloring into the white chocolate until evenly combined, then dip each ball and set on parchment. The white coating will be a bit thicker and less likely to drip, which can make decorating easier.

You can use a toothpick to apply or swirl extra chocolate on top for a decorative finish — this works particularly well with the thicker white chocolate.

Voila!

Variations are simple: swap the flavoring for vanilla, strawberry, lemon, or key lime oils, and use gel coloring where needed. The key is to use pure oil flavorings and gel—not liquid colorings—to avoid thinning the chocolate.

These Coconut Bon Bons are moist, flavorful, and customizable. They store well and make a delicious homemade candy perfect for gifting, holiday baskets, or a special Easter treat.

Coconut Bon Bons