Sweet and delicious homemade Raffaello coconut balls with condensed milk and almonds. 

These Raffaello truffles or 3 ingredient coconut balls would make an excellent addition to any Christmas present.

COCONUT BALLS RECIPE WITH CONDENSED MILK

I love Raffaello!

While I have never been much into chocolate, these white coconut balls of sweet delight have been my favorite sweets while growing up.

Mind you, I never got to eat them often, maybe once a year or so. At the beginning of the 90’s they were not available in Romania and I only got to know them because my step father’s brother was living in Germany. When he came home to visit his parents, he always had some Raffaello with him.

Haribo gummy bears were the absolute hit when people from Germany were visiting, but he did happen to bring Raffaello once and after that we were all crazy about them. However, like I’ve said, they were not available to buy in Romania at that time and as they became available, we were still not able to buy them often, they were just too expensive.

HOMEMADE RAFFAELLO

So, people got creative and started making their own Raffaello. People like my step-grandmother, who loved to bake and make sweet stuff for her family, I have already mentioned her cookies and gingerbread in the Easy Five Ingredient Thumbprint Cookies with Jam post.

And how we all loved those homemade Raffaello, I can still remember their taste. They didn’t really have the consistency of a Raffaello, I cannot imagine how to create that wafer full with that sweet filling, but the taste was similar and we loved chewing on those coconut truffles every chance we got.

I didn’t think of those homemade Raffaello for many years. In Germany real Raffaellos are cheap and widely available, I could buy them every day, if I wanted too.

But funny, now that they are at my finger’s reach I don’t buy them more often than I used to do in Romania. Probably, because I know that if I have a box of them in the pantry, I will not stop until they are all gone…

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE RAFFAELLO?

But recently I saw this recipe on Facebook and I just knew I have to make the Raffaello myself. I remember my step-grandmother’s recipe being made with powdered milk, but as I always have troubles in finding powdered milk to buy here, I was glad to see that the recipe on The Bossy Kitchen was made with condensed milk and not powdered milk.

I happened to have a can of condensed milk in the cellar and I always seem to have shredded coconut and almonds in the house, so I started to make the coconut balls recipe with condensed milk almost immediately.

This recipe is so easy and quick to make, it is almost a joke.

A bit of almond roasting, a minute of mixing and 10 minutes of rolling and you’re done.

3 ingredient coconut balls step by step:

1. Roast the almonds. Give the almonds to a large pan without the addition of any fat and roast shaking the pan often until the almonds are golden on both sides. Don’t leave them unattended, this will only take a few minutes and you don’t want them to get burned.
2. Immediately transfer the roasted almonds to a plate and let them cool.
3. Give 200 g/ 7 oz/ 3 1/3 cups of the desiccated coconut to a bowl. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir well. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes, so that the milk will be completely absorbed by the shredded coconut.
4. Line a large platter/plate with some baking paper. Give the remaining desiccated coconut to a shallow bowl or a plate.
5. Start rolling the coconut balls. Do that with slightly wet hands.
6. Take a small amount of the coconut mixture in your hand, flatten it, place a roasted almond in the middle and roll the ball. The truffle should be more or less the size of a larger cherry or the size of a real Raffaello.
7. Roll the balls into the extra coconut in the bowl and place them on the platter.
8. Place in the fridge and allow the Raffaellos to firm up. Transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated.

WHAT TO DO WITH HOMEMADE RAFFAELLO?

The 3 ingredient coconut balls are so delicious, sweet and pretty to look at, they would make a wonderful Christmas present or an addition to a larger Christmas present.

Wrap them in a nice present bag or box, put a Christmas ribbon on top and there you are!

Just give them try, you will love them!

And here is another wonderful dessert made with real Raffaello: Pineapple Coconut Cake with Raffaello.

Other homemade presents:

Romanian Homemade Chocolate Bars with Cocoa

Crunchy Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Homemade Orange Mustard with Coriander and Apple Vinegar

Blood Orange Jam – Super Easy and Low Sugar

Three Ingredient Homemade Raffaello Coconut Balls

Yield: 30

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Sweet and delicious homemade Raffaello coconut balls with condensed milk and almonds. 

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Ingredients

• 30 blanched almonds
• 240 g/ 8.5 oz/ about 4 cups desiccated coconut, unsweetened
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 400 g/ 14 oz

Instructions

1. Start by roasting the almonds. Give the almonds to a large pan without the addition of any fat and roast shaking the pan often until the almonds are golden on both sides. Don't leave them unattended, this will only take a few minutes and you don't want them to get burned.
   
2. Immediately transfer the roasted almonds to a plate and let them cool.
   
3. Give 200 g/ 7 oz/ 3 1/3 cups of the desiccated coconut to a bowl. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir well. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes, so that the milk will be completely absorbed by the shredded coconut.
   
4. Line a large platter/plate with some baking paper. Give the remaining desiccated coconut to a shallow bowl or a plate.
   
5. Start rolling the coconut balls. Do that with slightly wet hands, it really works much better. Take a small amount of the coconut mixture in your hand, flatten it, place a roasted almond in the middle and roll the ball. The truffle should be more or less the size of a larger cherry or the size of a real Raffaello.
   
6. Roll the balls into the extra coconut in the bowl and place them on the platter.
   
7. When all the balls are ready, place the platter in the fridge and allow the Raffaellos to firm up. Transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
   

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 ball
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 87 Total Fat: 4g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 5mg Sodium: 46mg Carbohydrates: 12g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 10g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 2g

Nutritional information is not always accurate.