When it comes to cookies, deliciousness usually arrives in the form of ingredients like flour, butter, sugar, nuts, and chocolate. So what happens when you can't eat any of these foods? In my case, you start playing with coconut.
Besides nut and chocolate allergies, I am currently on a restricted diet without gluten, soy, dairy, or refined sugar. I had resigned myself to a cookie-less holiday until my mother, ever hopeful, insisted that we find something sweet and celebratory to fill my corner of the cookie platter. Fortunately, coconut (not really a nut!) is one beloved food I can still eat.
For days, my kitchen was covered in all things coconut: shredded coconut, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut flour. I experimented with different combinations, measurements, cooking methods, and spices, and the result is the confection you see here. Sweet, yet not overwhelmingly so, these coconut snowballs have just the right balance of tender butteriness and textured coconut. They're quick to assemble, require no baking, and are rich enough that one is plenty (maybe two, if you have an accompanying mug of coffee, tea, or cider).
If you're a raw food person (or cooking for one), you can also use this recipe; substitute raw agave or yacon syrup for the maple syrup and make sure to use certified raw ingredients or process your own coconut milk, for example.

Coconut Snowballs
Makes 12 balls1 3/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Place 1 cup of shredded coconut in a food processor along with the coconut oil. Process on high speed, scraping down the sides periodically, until it reaches a paste-like consistency. (It does not have to be completely smooth like butter; some coconut texture is good.)
Add the maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and process until well combined. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of shredded coconut and pulse until just combined.
Shape the mixture into 12 (1-inch) balls and coat with the remaining shredded coconut. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
Related: Fall Recipe: Gluten-Free & Vegan Gingerbread Cake
(Images: Emily Ho)
Soft Aerating Pourers

Comments (49)
And they're Paleo-friendly too! ;)
Would I able to ship these? I live in Ohio and would like to send them to North Carolina to a friend at Fort Bragg. (And on that note, would I use dry ice, or are there any suggestions on how to ship?) Thanks in advance!
Meenakshi, since coconut (and its oil) have such a long shelf life without going rancid - several months - I would guess you don't need to refrigerate.
I'm SO EXCITED that you posted a Paleo-friendly sweets recipe!!! Going to make these tonight.
Do you have nutrition info on them? I'm thinking these might be good for hiking snacks. Coconut is easy on the stomach. :D
You had me at "no-bake" ! What a terrific, easy way to make cookies. Plus I love coconut. So this is getting bookmarked ! Thanks for sharing these Coconut Snowballs!
Nice - no weird, hard to find ingredients, either, which is a plus for a vegan recipe! (I'm assuming coconut oil is common, I've never purchased it.)
Plugging this recipe into Sparkrecipes.com, I came out with the following nutrition info - hope it helps!
Nutrition Facts
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 50.0
Total Fat 4.7 g
Saturated Fat 4.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 34.4 mg
Potassium 47.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.2 g
Dietary Fiber 1.1 g
Sugars 0.8 g
Protein 0.4 g
Vitamin A 0.0 %
Vitamin B-12 1.6 %
Vitamin B-6 1.9 %
Vitamin C 0.7 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 0.4 %
Calcium 0.3 %
Copper 2.8 %
Folate 0.9 %
Iron 2.2 %
Magnesium 1.2 %
Manganese 10.5 %
Niacin 2.0 %
Pantothenic Acid 1.9 %
Phosphorus 1.6 %
Riboflavin 0.2 %
Selenium 1.7 %
Thiamin 2.1 %
Zinc 2.5 %
I am not a fan of the taste of maple, (as a rule) so I was wondering if I omitted it would that be alright? Does it not make it taste maple? If it doesn’t, I am not opposed to leaving it as -is.
These sound so yummy! Can you believe that I have a friend allergic to coconut!? I feel so bad for him!
My mother is allergic to most common oils, so coconut oil is a staple in our house. You can find it at your local grocery in the baking aisle.
@Vikihom: how about replacing the maple sirup with Agave how the author suggested? I think without the maple sirup it might taste strange since the maple sirup is the sweetener.
Buttons_whims (and anyone else looking for coconut oil) I hadn't seen it in my small town grocery stores before but noticed a huge tub of Organic cold-pressed extra virgin Coconut Oil at Costco last month so it can't be too exotic :) I remember a few years ago hearing people were ordering it online from Amazon's grocery section when it was harder to find.
Sd0126, thank you so much for figuring out the nutrition info and saving me the hassle! :)
I don't have a food processor, can I still make these...?
Oh...and I'm thinking of dipping these in melted hot chocolate?! Yum!
sorry I meant melted DARK chocolate
wife loves coconut anything... thanks for recipe
something seems to be missing? not getting enough bulk to make 12 1 inch balls
Looks good!
@Meenakshi I recommend refrigerating these because the coconut milk and shredded coconut can go rancid. I probably would not ship them myself, unless the package was kept cool and it was a very quick delivery.
@Vikihom The maple flavor is not super strong, but if you're averse to maple syrup, you might want to try another liquid sweetener like agave, which will help hold these together.
@miraajj617 Using a food processor helps to give these a softer texture, but you could mix them up by hand or substitute about 6 tablespoons of store-bought coconut butter in the first step. Sadly, I'm allergic to chocolate, but I think it would be a marvelous addition!
@exeguy Hmm, I tested this version of the recipe 3 times and managed to get a dozen balls each time. I wonder if the brand/style of shredded coconut makes a difference in volume. I used Bob's Red Mill.
Another alternative to agave and maple.... Make it an all coconut affair.
http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Raw-Nectar---/dp/B003XB9EFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355361369&sr=8-1&keywords=coconut+nectar
Is there a substitute for the coconut oil? The only coconut oil I have been able to find is also processed with peanut oil ( my daughter is highly allergic).
@mapg You can use another, neutral-tasting oil or even try the recipe without oil; it just helps when processing the shredded coconut into a paste.
mapg: When referring to coconut oil, the ONLY kind that is healthy is Cold-pressed, Virgin, Organic Coconut Oil. If it is processed, it is NOT healthy, nor is ANY oil that is processed. Costco does indeed carry the correct type of coconut oil, beigeonbeige, and at $21.99 for a 72-oz. container, it's an incredibly low price. I am stocking up on it in my food storage, along with my dry pack and 1-year supply of food. I pick up a container every pay day. If you KNEW what a miracle food coconut oil is, you would be shocked, after all the years of UNEDUCATED propaganda from the fda!!!
Yum, yum! I'm gluten and dairy free due to health reasons, but these will work for me! I will let you know how it turns out when I get to them. I used to hate coconut, but as I found out how good they can be, I'm in love..been using organic coconut oil for at least 12 years now.
Emily, thanks for the substitution suggestion. And the oil I found is raw and organic, so it probably is healthy. The factory just does stuff with peanuts and peanut oil in the same factory on shared lines. Sadly, a lot of organic stuff has cross contamination with peanuts.
Coconut oil is SO good for you, internally and externally. It is awesome used as a facial and body moisturizer, it soaks in and isn't greasy at all. I eat a tablespoon a day to get some good fat for my brain and it's delicious to cook with. Definitely making these cookies!
Coconut oil is easy to find! It is available at pretty much all health food stores; Supermarkets with an organic and natural products section should have as well.
I love no bake recipes! So simple, easy and quick. And the fact that it is gluten-free & vegan is a definite plus!
Just curious if the coconut milk is the kind in the can, or the thinner kind in the tetra-pak or refrigerated section?
I have to make these!
Yum! Thank you so much! Vegan, GF, and coconut? The trifecta.
@centerstagewellness I suggest using the thicker consistency coconut milk that comes in a can or aseptic carton. Check the ingredients -- often times the carton versions (refrigerated and not) are watered down and contain a bunch of additives or sweeteners.
These look delicious. I only wish they'd hold up without refrigeration, so I could ship them as Christmas gifts!
For those who don't like the taste of maple, you might try Blue Agave nectar. Keep in mind that for a cup of refined white sugar, you only need about 3/4 cup of the nectar. Vegan, and pure. I use it in just about everything that I need sweetners in, including all of my baking. It is also wonderful for diabetics, as it is slower to be utilized in the body, therefore blood sugars remain more stable.
Cindy
Oh goodness, these were a disaster for me tonight! I don't know what I did wrong! Anyone else tried the recipe so far?
These worked great for me -- super yummy and easy. I followed the recipe as written, just reduced the sweetener slightly, using about 1 tbs agave and 1 tbs maple syrup. Hardest part for me was that the batter is super sticky. I will use a wet spoon next time to help form the balls. Also didn't quite get 12 balls, more like 10. Once they firm up, they are pretty stable outside of the fridge -- I took a couple to work and they were nice and hard after five hours.
I have type 1 diabetes, so I made these with Walden Farms' sugar-free maple syrup and then dipped them in dark chocolate made with polydextrose & Splenda (Nevada Manna). They are DELICIOUS! I got 11 balls.
Can you use coconut flour instead of putting coconut flakes in a food processor?
These are fantastic - I made them this weekend, and they're the perfect little 2-bite dessert to have with coffee or tea. Awesome! My food processor is almost too big for this, and I didn't really get a paste after step 1, just a finer grind. But I kept going and found out that if you heat the mixture a bit (to melt coconut oil), it definitely helps. Will make these again!
@krymsen I tried variations with coconut flour and found that they were too dry. I recommend the shredded coconut/coconut butter for moisture.
Ok, so what did I do wrong?! First, full disclosure: I *did* try to triple the recipe the first time without ever having made them before! ':-} I was never able to achieve a paste-like consistency in stage 1. I added extra coconut oil, but still no-go. I decided to forge on and add the rest of the ingredients in the hopes that the other liquids would come to the rescue; but when I tried to roll the resulting mixture into balls, it just crumbled. Now I have approx. 4 cups of maple syrup/vanilla/sea salt flavored coconut flakes in my fridge that I need to figure out how to repurpose! (I'm thinking a HUGE batch of chocolate coconut bark?)
We made these a few nights ago and they were fabulous! We doubled the recipe and only managed to get 18 of these in the size described though, so watch out for that - these go quick!
HI Emily, I made these coconut balls. They are absolutely a delight. I was able to get 12 balls like you mentioned. I had to give the store bought shredded coconut a whirl to reduce the flake size so they stay coated when you roll them in the coconut at the end. I feel very virtuous for knowing how to make gluten-free, nut-free, vegan, no-bake baked good. Looking forward to more!
I was able to make delicious 10 balls! the hardest part for me was getting the leftover coconut shreds on the balls, but usually giving a slight squeeze in your hands attached them. i will definitely make more for the future, in bigger batches!
I just made these and they're delicious! I have a mini-chopper and couldn't quite get the paste consistency described in the recipe but they turned out super tasty and are so easy to make. I substituted agave for maple syrup and tried a little almond butter in half the batch - yum! Traditional snowballs are a family favorite, I will try some chopped pecans next time. Thanks for a great recipe!
You are most likely going to laugh but I dont own a food processor!! Could I use my hand mixer instead??
devo! went and bought what i thought was coconut milk.. wondered why it wasnt working... it was "flavoured" evaporated milk. i know i shouldnt, but i kept them.. even though they are clumps of yumminess with milk in them!
Bob's Red Mill Fine Macaroon COCONUT (unsweetened) 12 oz. package makes a perfect double batch. The first time I made these awesome snowballs I didn't read the directions about using only 1 cup of the coconut with 2 teaspoons of coconut oil & mix in the cuisinart until a little creamy (but could have a little coconut texture) & then follow the rest of the recipe. My son-in-law said my recipe (thanks to Kitchn for creating it) tasted better than the ones he bought at a specialty store. Thanks to all the people that have such great posts on this recipe. BTW, this is my first time to post on anything on the Internet. This is a real treat to the smart people out there eating less (or no) sugar.