Christmas Cookies for Santa: Candy Instead

As I hungrily eyed the leftover Hershey’s kisses, I imagined Santa doing the same, unwrapping the little candies and popping them into his mouth, one by one. In that case, he might prefer a pure chocolate treat, undiluted by a doughy cookie base, so I left the flour on the shelf when I stirred up another dessert.  

 

After shaping a big pile of fudgy balls, I rolled them in coconut, giving them a festive snowy coat. Because we never hold snowball fights at my house—much too warm and sunny!—Santa would have to toss these little “snowballs” straight into his mouth. Not quite as cold but lots tastier than a face full of real snow!

 

 

Chocolate Snowballs

based on this Coconut Balls recipe 

makes 4-5 dozen

If your household doesn’t like coconut, feel free to omit it and call the treats “Reindeer Poop” for the children’s amusement (or simply “Fudge Balls” for the adults).

3½ c. powdered sugar

¾ c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 (14 oz) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1½ c. sweetened flaked coconut

1. In a very large bowl, whisk together the sugar and cocoa. Stir in the milk and vanilla. The mixture will be very thick and fudgy. Refrigerate for 30 min.
2. Pour the coconut into a medium bowl. Remove the chocolate mixture from the fridge, and shape into 1”-thick balls. Roll each ball in the coconut, pressing the coconut firmly into the chocolate. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or tin foil, and refrigerate for 1-2 hrs, or until firm. Store in airtight containers.