Monday, October 23, 2006

Chocolate Balls



A favorite confection for Swedish kids and adults alike - I hereby present to you: the chocolate ball. When I grew up, it was known other another name entirely - something which is now percieved as far too racist to mention. So I won't. (But I'm kind of betting someone will in the comment section.) Anyway. It's great stuff! I don't make them myself any more (but it's dead easy) since a store near me (Coop Konsum in Nacka Forum) has the Best Ones Ever.

My co-worker started buying them, and I would look disapprovingly at him. After all, this is something you make yourself, not something to buy. That was my very firm opinion. Until he bought me one. And that was the start of a very dangerous friendship, so to speak. Because these truly are the best chocolate balls I've ever tried. Such flavor, such texture. Yum.

Anyway. They contain basically butter, sugar, oats, cocoa and sometimes a little coffee. They are then shaped into balls and rolled in coconut. One of these days, I might make some myself, and then I promise to share the recipe.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the ones which are sold in Saluhallen, Göteborg.

Bonnie said...

OMG these totally remind me of rum balls (they look exactly the same). Made for a good Aussie Christmas with chocolate and a whole bunch of rum. I'm so making them this year! Thanks Anne!

Pene said...

Anne, I love anything with coconut in them. And congratulations on reaching another milestone - 2 years!!
I found both this & the last recipe in the "Swedish Cakes & Cookies" book. They are on my "must try" list. Thanks.

Karin said...

OK I can tell, they used to be called "negro balls" and the recipe was on the oatmeal package and I don´t really think it was any kind of rasism behind the name. I think it´s quite an old cake and immigration to Sweden from southern countries didn´t start until end of 1950 beginning of 1960 so we where not used to see foreigners and the cake was brown so where people from africa, and the word "negro" was not politically incorrect then.
My mum used to give it to me and my brother as a special treat when we where kids, but she never made the dough into balls, we ate it with a spoon from coffecups, I sometimes see those cups at fleamarkets and get nostalgic.
Happy 2 year!

KrakelSpektakel said...

MMmmm. Chokladbollar. Jag minns att mamma alltid var mycket noga med att lära mig att det heter CHOKLADbollar. Det måste varit kring någon föräldradag i sexårs där det uppenbarligen bjöds på chokladbollar. Mamma var med, min ena fröken(engelskt ursprung) tackade alla så hjärtligt(så högljutt)för att ha bidragit med så fina Negerbollar. Närvarande var även min afrikansk/amerikanska fröken. Hon tog ingen notis, ingen annan brydde sig, men min mamma höll på att ramla av stolen. Sedan den dagen förstår jag innebörden av politisk korrekthet. (Mamma var ju tvungen att förklara att alla vuxna inte är lika snälla och betänksamma som jag hade varit.)

Anne said...

Dagmar - that goes on the "to try in Gothenburg"-list!

Bonnie - oooh, I have to try that! Rum! Sounds good!

Pene - the recipes in that book are pretty good, do give them a try! :)

Karin - thank you, great explanation :) What cups did your mum use?

Krakel - hehe, jag kan se det framför mig :) Det är ju så oskyldigt egentligen, men för den som inte växt upp med det så kan det vara lite värre :)

Karin said...

It was a kind of duralex glass cup with two stripes cut into the glass as a kind of decoration. nothing I would like to own!
We used to drink hot chocolate from "zebra" tea cups. Those I would like to have...

Anonymous said...

These look like a famous Czech confection except we put a cherry in the middle, roll the chocolate dough around it and cover in coconut! Yum!

Anonymous said...

i just posted something similar however they are brazilian, called brigadeiros.

i guess chocolate balls are favourites all over the world ;-p