Chocolate-Dipped Chokladbollar

Chokladbollar is a simple Swedish cookie-like treat made of oats, sugar, butter, and chocolate. In a fifteen-minute process, these ingredients are mixed (coffee or liquor may be added in; this recipe uses coffee), rolled into balls, and coated in coconut, at which point the chokladbollar is ready to be consumed alongside a hot beverage.

I have enjoyed many batches of chokladbollar prepared in the usual way, but, when I wanted to share the enjoyment with others, I found the transportation of the moist and temperature-sensitive treat difficult. The butter holding everything together can become soft and the coconut can fall off and make a mess. It was not until much later that I figured out that coating the already chocolate-rich balls in more chocolate made my chokladbollar not only sweeter and more satisfying to bite into but also much more durable and able to be taken around town in any container.

Although the chocolate-coated chokladbollar described in this instructable take much longer than fifteen minutes to cook, I hope that the cooking process is satisfying enough and the result delicious enough to make you add this recipe to your recipe book.

Not all ingredients and tools are shown.

Ingredients

1. 1 stick refrigerated unsalted butter
2. 3 tbsp cocoa powder
3. Coffee
4. 100 g granulated sugar
5. 1 tsp vanilla extract
6. 120 g rolled oats
7. 75 g unsweetened shredded coconut
8. 1 package Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers

Tools

1. Microwave-safe bowl
2. Kitchen scale
3. Small and large spoons
4. Large mixing bowl
5. Small dish or bowl
6. Coffee mug
7. Measuring cups and spoons
8. Bowl for weighing ingredients
9. Plastic wrap (optional)
10. Tray with parchment paper
11. Toothpicks
12. Small saucepan
13. Metal bowl, larger than the saucepan
14. Small silicone spoon or spatula
15. Piece of styrofoam

1. Place a microwave safe bowl on a kitchen scale and zero the scale.
2. Cut chunks of butter directly from the stick into the bowl until the scale reads 100 g. This is most of one stick; you can save the small piece that is left for greasing a cake pan or frying an egg.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave. I like to microwave butter at 30% power for 2-3 minutes, until most of it is liquid but there are a few solid chunks left.
4. Pour the butter into the large bowl and stir it until smooth.

1. In a small dish or bowl, measure out 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder.
2. Brew a small cup of strong coffee and add 3 tbsp to the dish. Mix thoroughly to form a smooth paste.

1. In yet another bowl, measure 100 g sugar and pour it into the bowl with the melted butter. Add 1 tsp vanilla at the same time.
2. Mix and add all of the chocolate-coffee mixture. Mix again.
3. Use the bowl you used for the sugar to measure 120 g oats and 75 g coconut. Add them in and mix one last time.
4. Place the batter in the refrigerator. Optionally, cover it with plastic wrap.

1. Take out the chilled mixture and begin rolling it into balls that are slightly smaller than ping-pong balls.
2. Place these balls on the tray and stick a toothpick into each of them. Make sure the toothpicks go in far, almost all the way through.
3. Put the entire tray in the freezer.

1. Wait at least thirty minutes for the chokladbollar to harden. In a small saucepan, heat 1-3 cups of water until it is not boiling but steaming.
2. Put the metal bowl on top of the saucepan and pour the Ghirardelli melting wafers in. Stir them with a silicone spoon or spatula and let them melt slowly. Adjust the burner so that the water doesn't boil.
3. Take the first ball out of the freezer. Holding it by the toothpick, dip it in the chocolate and use the spoon/spatula to coat it all around. Work quickly.
4. Stand it up by sticking the end of the toothpick into a piece of styrofoam. Repeat these steps for the rest of the chokladbollar.

1. Remove the toothpicks once the chocolate is dry. Place the balls in a container.
2. If you weren't able to coat all of the chokladbollar in chocolate, that's okay: it tastes good without chocolate as well.
3. If you have extra chocolate, it can be left to solidify in the metal bowl, taken out as one block, and put back into the original bag. Then, you can use it next time.
4. While chocolate-coated chokladbollar survives at room temperature, it is best to keep it in the refrigerator whenever possible. Take it out one and a half hours before it is to be eaten.