Martha Washington Candy: A Sweet Family Treat
Old-fashioned coconut cream candies enrobed in rich chocolate – a beloved holiday tradition with a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture and perfect balance of sweet coconut and dark chocolate.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours (with chilling)
- Yield: 48 candies 1x
- Category: Confection
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Southern American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- For Centers:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups (480g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups (170g) shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup (120g) chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- For Coating:
- 12 oz (340g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or shortening
- Optional garnish: Toasted coconut flakes
Instructions
- Make centers: Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar alternating with condensed milk. Stir in coconut, nuts, and extracts.
- Chill: Roll into 1-inch balls; place on parchment-lined tray. Freeze 30 minutes until firm.
- Melt coating: In double boiler, melt chocolate with coconut oil until smooth (110°F/43°C).
- Dip: Using forks, dip frozen centers in chocolate. Let excess drip off.
- Set: Return to parchment. Immediately sprinkle with toasted coconut if using.
- Cure: Refrigerate 15 minutes until set. Store between wax paper layers.
Notes
- Texture tip: Freeze centers solid for clean dipping
- For snowballs: Roll undipped centers in powdered sugar
- Make ahead: Centers keep frozen 1 month before dipping
- Gifting: Package in decorative tins with wax paper separators
- Variation: Substitute ½ cup maraschino cherries (drained/chopped) for nuts
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 candy
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 15mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
Find it online: https://us.recipesfood.org/martha-washington-candy/
