| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Cook: | 5 min |
| Yield: | about 40 candies |
Ingredients
- 1 1-pound box confectioners’ sugar (about 4 cups)
- 1/2 cup smooth, plain mashed potatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 14-ounce bag sweetened shredded coconut
- 2 pounds good-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Put the confectioners’ sugar in a large heatproof bowl; make a deep well in the middle. Add the mashed potatoes, butter, vanilla and salt to the well. Place the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Starting in the center of the well, stir the ingredients, gradually incorporating the sugar, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture forms a smooth paste, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the coconut. Transfer to the freezer and chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Roll tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into balls, then flatten each ball into a small square using your fingers (you should have about 40 squares). Put the squares on a large plate or baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny-side up. Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate melts. Add the shortening and stir vigorously until glossy, about 2 minutes. Transfer half of the chocolate to a glass liquid measuring cup. One at a time, place each candy square on a fork and dip in the melted chocolate to coat; let the excess drip back into the cup. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining squares, refilling the cup with melted chocolate as needed. Let the candies harden at room temperature, about 1 hour. Photograph by Charles Masters
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 40 servings |
| Calories | 222 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 28 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 2 mg |
| Sodium | 53 mg |
Reviews
Needhams….I needham in my life!
Love it! And happy that it tastes so creamy with very little dairy.
I agree the recipe makes more chocolate than needed. I kept the chocolate at an easy-dipping temperature by leaving it over the same pot of warm water that I used when mixing the sugar step. I am using the excess chocolate to dip dried fruit i.e. apricots. One thing I would add – I will try lightly spraying the foil with Pam or run a butter wrapper over it. The chocolate stuck a bit to it.
I agree the recipe makes more chocolate than needed. I kept the chocolate at an easy-dipping temperature by leaving it over the same pot of warm water that I used when mixing the sugar step. I am using the excess chocolate to dip dried fruit i.e. apricots. One thing I would add – I will try lightly spraying the foil with Pam or run a butter wrapper over it. The chocolate stuck a bit to it.
Followed recipe exactly and the “middle” never was a paste….it was very runny. Tried to thinken it with more sugar, mashed potatoes & cocount to get it to a pasty consistency. Also, the recipe should state that you need CLEAR vanilla extract otherwise your centers will have a brownish tint. Was hoping this was going to be a quick new candy to add to my Christmas gifts, but will most likely have to trash, as the middle never really set well even after the additions and being in the freezer
our family has been making Needhams for over 40 years and they are a fan favorite.
This recipe was wondeful! You could also put an almond or piece of almond in your squares to make them like almond joys. Everyone in my family who tasted them went back for more. I agree with the other review that you only need half the chocolate asked for in the recipe. Definitely a make again recipe!
I thought this recipe was wonderful. I found however that there was no need to freezr the filling the first time..I could roll them right away. I also found that I had LOTS of chocolate left over so I think 1 lb of chocolate would be enough. They were a hit!!