So popular are chocolate balls (chokladbollar) in Sweden that they have their own holiday—May 11, Chokladbollens Dag. “The rule in our family was that we could make them anytime of the year because they were so yummy and satisfying to eat,” says Rebecca Haggard, who shares this easy-to-make family recipe for Swedish chocolate balls.
From her experience, Rebecca suggests “They taste especially good cold from the fridge or even freezer. Throughout my life, my family has made Swedish chocolate balls for any and every occasion: holiday parties, birthday parties, family reunions, neighbor gifts, school party treats, and just because. Chokladbollar is one of the first desserts my mother taught me and my siblings how to make. . . . I know my wonderful mother appreciated our tiny hands rolling and molding the mixture into balls, knowing at the same time she was passing on a sweet and cherished tradition to her children. And of course we ate from the mixture throughout the process.”
Before you make this recipe, take Rebecca’s warning into consideration: “It is hard to eat only one chocolate ball!”
Recipe provided by Rebecca Wood Haggard, passed down from her mother, Birgitta Dagny Sjoberg Wood.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (230 g), softened
- 2 cups (389 g) sugar
- Dash of salt
- 3–4 tablespoons (21–28 g) cocoa powder, to taste
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) Pero coffee alternative (optional)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 4 cups (325 g) old-fashioned oats
- 11.5 ounce bag (320 g) milk chocolate chips
- Sugar, flaked coconut, or sprinkles
Instructions
- Mix butter, sugar, salt, cocoa, Pero (optional), and vanilla.
- Add oats and chocolate chips.
- With your hands, roll the mixture into small, bite-sized balls, about the size of a meatball.
- Roll balls in sugar, flaked coconut, or sprinkles.
- Refrigerate the balls for an hour or two (or freeze for 30 minutes) before serving.
- Store them in an airtight container, or cover them well with plastic wrap. They will easily last in the refrigerator for a week, or longer in the freezer.
Note from Rebecca: “Most, if not all, Swedish chocolate ball recipes call for coffee. But since we don’t drink coffee, we don’t add it. Years ago, my mother would add 1 teaspoon of Pero here and there which would give the chocolate balls a coffeelike flavor, similar to authentic Swedish chocolate balls. Mostly we went without. We also like to add a bag of chocolate chips, simply because we love chocolate chips. Mint-flavored chips are also pretty yummy if you like mint.”
More Swedish Recipes to Try
Many thanks to our writers and the Swedish families who donated recipes: Sunny Morton, Glen and Debbie Greener, Jan and Betty Jonson, Sunniva Salomonsson, Dee Wilhite, and Rebecca Wood Haggard.Additional recipe credits: Sweden.se and Swedishfood.com
Learn More about Swedish Heritage
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