Gluten free recipes 
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Apricots (Abricots)
No bake, bite-sized coconut, raisin and chocolate snowballs. Low in sugar, packed with dried fruits and rolled in coconut, these healthy treats are fun to make with kids for the holidays. Moreover, they just so happen to be vegan. I’m digressing from French recipes and moving to my roots in Scotland!
Inspiration from my Scottish Granny
This no-bake recipe for Snowballs is inspired by my Granny’s recipe in her Black Book. So I’m sure it originally came from a magazine, the Scottish Sunday Post newspaper or the Jimmy Young radio show which she listened to back in the 70s, as he also dictated many recipes over the air.
I can still hear his voice in the background, the smells of the coal and sparking from the fire. Just opposite, on the dining room table, we rolled the snowballs in icing sugar and coconut – our hands daringly gooey with coconut stuck to our sweetened cocoa fingers. Bliss.
Scottish Coconut Snowballs
These no-bake, bite-size coconut snowballs are not the same as the other more classic kind of Scottish Snowballs. Traditionally, they’re the sandwiched biscuits with raspberry jam and rolled in coconut. Funnily enough we didn’t make these with Granny, as they were a special bought treat. We’d buy them from Norman the Baker, who would hoot his milk chocolate and cream-coloured van just outside Granny’s house in Musselburgh.
Granny would press a coin into our hands and, with my wee brother, we’d go running to buy the most enormous sandwiched snowball each from Norman. He always greeted us with the cheekiest of grins from ear to ear, as he’d talk nineteen-to-the-dozen with Agnes.
If you’d like to make them, then my Scottish-Italian friend, Christina, has just posted a recipe for the Jam-filled Scottish Snowballs at ChristinasCucina. We have both been quite oblivious to rolling two very different Scottish snowballs this weekend without even realising we were on the same spooky wavelength (this happens a lot!)
How do You Make Snowballs?
If Agnes is watching over, I’m sure she would quietly approve of this updated healthier version. I’ve reduced the sugar a lot, replacing much of it with more dried fruits. Moreover, replacing the margarine with coconut oil makes these mini chocolate and coconut snow balls vegan.
I remember on many occasions that she added raisins and so the fruit, spice and orange additions are all in the name of giving them a festive taste to compensate for the missing sugar.
mix all the ingredients together, roll into balls then in the coconut
How Long Can Coconut Snowballs Keep?
Snowballs can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
They’re also great for decorating winter or festive desserts. Try popping a few on my favourite Double Chocolate Tart, one of the recipes from my book, ‘Teatime in Paris!‘
Bite-Sized Snowballs as Mini Christmas Puddings
This recipe is for snowballs, rolled in dessicated coconut. However, why not coat them in a little icing and top with a cranberry, a glacé cherry – or a Marachino cherry – to turn them into mini Christmas puddings?
Love snowballs? Make these Scottish Macaroon Bar Mini Snowballs too!
Snowballs (No Bake Coconut, Raisin & Chocolate Bites)
Servings : 25 snowballs
Description
No bake, bite-sized coconut, raisin and chocolate snowballs. Low in sugar, packed with dried fruits and rolled in coconut, these healthy treats are fun to make with kids for the holidays. Moreover, they just so happen to be vegan.
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.75oz) Raisins
- 50 g (1.75oz) Dates finely chopped
- 40 g (1.5oz) Dried apricots finely chopped
- 40 g (1.5oz) Candied orange peel (or grated orange zest) finely chopped
- 5 tbsp Orange juice
- 100 g (3.5oz) Dessicated coconut 60g (2oz) + 40g (1.5oz) for rolling
- 40 g (1.5oz) Medium porridge oats
- 60 g (2oz) Caster sugar (extra fine)
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 50 g (1.75oz) Coconut oil melted
- 2 tsp Gingerbread, pumpkin or cinnamon ground spice
Instructions
- Place all the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with a spoon until all the flavours are well blended. If the coconut oil is solid, melt very gently for just a few seconds in the microwave.
- Form little balls by rolling a couple of teaspoons of the mixture at a time in the palm of your hands. Set aside on a plate or baking sheet then roll in the desiccated coconut. Alternatively, top with a little icing with a tiny chopped glacé cherry (if for adults, add some Grand Marnier to the icing).
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Best eaten at room temperature with your favourite cup of tea at teatime, mulled wine or festive sparkly.
Also great as decor on top of the double chocolate tartlets in my book, Teatime in Paris.
Cover in icing and top with a bit of glacé cherry to make them look like Express Christmas Puddings.
This post was originally published 18 December 2017 but has now been refreshed with updated text, new images and a printable recipe card.
Comments (19)
So festive and so delicious
Thank you so much Jill Colonna !
Thanks for popping in to say so, David.
Love your Granny’s recipe, even though I’ve just made a gazillion truffles & date nut balls I just had to take a look at these! Can’t wait to try yours.
Thanks, Bea. I know there are many things like this on the internet already but these are lower in sugar so you can really taste all the goodies inside. Thrilled you’ll make them!
What a nice recipe to make with my kids, they will definitely love it. Thank you for sharing!!
So thrilled you’ll be continuing our family tradition. Enjoy x
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