Another old fashioned heritage confection, Martha Washington Candy is a rich mixture of buttery coconut and condensed milk with pecans, rolled into a tight ball and dipped in chocolate.
Martha Washington Candy
These little scrumptious bite-sized confections have been a beloved Christmas favorite in families for years, often passed down for generations. People remember their mothers making them, and their grandmothers before them.
I don't know how they officially got their name, except perhaps for their namesake, who I've read was quite a good cook. Maybe they came from her own recipe collection - that's one cookbook I don't happen to own!
Sometimes just called Martha Washingtons, Martha Washington Balls, or just Coconut Bon Bons, you won't like these if you aren't a fan of coconut, because they are definitely coconut central, but oh my goodness, are they just little bites of heaven if you do.
Though recipes vary wildly on the amounts, many seem to be heavy on powdered sugar, so when I ran across this recipe in my Gooseberry Patch cookbook, I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm glad I did because it uses significantly less powdered sugar, a little more coconut, and more butter - right up my alley, wouldn't you say? These were much creamier. Nothing could be easier either. It's a simple "batter" made from coconut, powdered sugar, condensed milk, melted butter and pecans. Omit the pecans and add in slivered almonds for an Almond Joy take.
Mix that up and there's your dough. Nothing to it. Because this particular recipe doesn't use nearly as much powdered sugar as many recipes out there, it isn't stiff like others, which is great because they are much creamier inside, and not overly sweet.
That also means you will need to give it time in the fridge to firm up. Just prepare the dough the night before you want to make them and put it in the fridge overnight. If you still find your dough isn't stiff enough, all you need to do is add powdered sugar a little at a time until it is the right consistency, but remember - powdered sugar also adds sweetness!
Roll the dough into balls about the size of a large marble and place onto trays lined with parchment paper. These are quite rich though, so you'll want them to be small - one or two bites. A melon ball tool is helpful if you have one. Once you've rolled them, refrigerate again while you melt the chocolate.
Work in batches of about a dozen, so that you can leave the others in the fridge while you dip them into melted chocolate using your favorite method - you can use chocolate chips with food grade paraffin, vegetable shortening, or the good ole standby almond bark that is more popular these days.
Then return the balls to the parchment paper to set.
Because there is less powdered sugar in this recipe these are deliciously creamy inside. Gooey. Filled with coconut and pecans. Covered in chocolate. If you enjoy coconut, you will love these.
Yum y'all.
For more of my favorite Christmas candies and other goodies, visit my page on Pinterest y'all!
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