No Bake 3-Ingredients Homemade Mounds Bars

Homemade Mounds bars have a thin dark chocolate shell and a thick, chewy coconut center. You can make them with three ingredients and a little freezer space. Stir the filling in one bowl, shape it into short bars with rounded ends, and dip each one in melted chocolate. Once the shell sets, break a bar open and you’ll see the little white shreds of coconut packed inside.

The condensed milk does the work of two ingredients in the filling. It sweetens the coconut and gives the shreds enough stickiness to hold together. A short chill makes the centers easy to lift with a fork. Allow about an hour and a half from mixing to serving. Most of that time goes to firming up the centers and setting the coating.

The Three Ingredients

• 3 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut, measured loosely, plus up to 2 tablespoons if needed
• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk, plus up to 1 tablespoon if needed
• 12 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers

Finely shredded unsweetened coconut gives you the close-packed center that makes these bars so satisfying to bite into. Look for dried coconut with short, fine shreds. The coconut should look like little threads or small flecks. Wide coconut chips tend to stick out at the edges of the logs, where they catch on the fork during dipping. If you already have long shreds, give them a few quick pulses in a food processor, then measure them. Stop when the shreds are short and you can still see individual pieces. Grinding them down to a powder changes the bite of the candy.

Spoon the coconut into the measuring cup and level it off lightly. A firmly packed cup can hold considerably more coconut, which means the last scoop of filling may crumble even though you used the full measure of milk. Unsweetened coconut also leaves room for the sweetness that comes from the condensed milk. If all you have is sweetened shredded coconut, expect a sweeter, softer center. Add the condensed milk gradually and use the squeeze test in the first step to decide when the mixture is ready.

Sweetened condensed milk should fall from the spoon in a thick ribbon. A small amount clings to every shred, so the filling stays chewy once it warms up from the fridge. Start with most of the measured milk and add the rest in stages. A finer shred can soak up enough milk to make the mixture feel stiff, while a softer coconut may pack easily with a little less. A standard 14-ounce can gives you plenty for one batch. Transfer the remainder to a covered container, refrigerate it, and use a spoonful in coffee or oatmeal.

Dark chocolate melting wafers flow easily once melted and set up into a firm coating. Look for wafers labeled for dipping or candy making. The dark coating has a little bitterness that balances the sweet coconut. Twelve ounces gives you enough depth to roll the first bars through the coating and enough chocolate to spoon over the last few. Some will stay in the bowl. A finely chopped dark baking bar of the same weight works, too. Its shell may set a little softer or look more matte without tempering. Keep those bars chilled until close to serving time for a firmer bite.

How to Make Mounds Bars

1. Mix the coconut filling. Line a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet and a second tray of similar size with parchment paper. Check that the baking sheet can sit flat in your freezer. Put the coconut in a mixing bowl. Measure ¾ cup of the condensed milk and hold back 2 tablespoons. Stir the rest into the coconut, scraping around the bottom of the bowl, and let the mixture sit for 2 minutes. Squeeze a spoonful in your palm. It should hold together when you open your hand, with very little milk left on your skin. If it crumbles, stir in the reserved milk 1 tablespoon at a time. After using that, add extra milk 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 1 tablespoon more, if it still feels dry. If the mixture slumps after you shape a piece, stir in extra coconut 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 2 tablespoons.
2. Shape 16 bars with rounded ends. For even portions, divide the mixture into four roughly equal piles and make four bars from each pile. Squeeze each portion into a compact piece before rolling it gently into a log about 2½ inches long and 1 inch wide. Flatten the base a little so the bar can sit on a fork without rolling off. Tuck stray shreds into the ends with your fingers. If a center cracks across the middle as you roll it, press it back together firmly and then smooth the seam. Set the bars on the first lined sheet with space between them.
3. Freeze the centers for about 40 minutes. Check one by picking it up at both ends. It should lift in one piece and feel firm enough to turn over without bending. If it still bends, give the centers another 10 minutes and check again. They may feel slightly tacky from the condensed milk even when they’re firm enough to dip. Leave the bars in the freezer while you get the coating ready.
4. Melt the wafers. Use a dry, narrow microwave-safe bowl that holds about 2 cups. Heat the wafers at 50% power for 30 seconds, stir, then continue in 15-second bursts at the same power, stirring after each one. As soon as you see only a few small lumps, keep stirring and let the heat in the bowl melt them. The coating is ready when it runs from the fork in a smooth ribbon. Set the lined receiving tray beside the bowl so you can move each piece straight from the chocolate to the parchment.
5. Coat the bars a few at a time. Bring out three or four cold centers and keep the rest in the freezer. Lower one bar into the chocolate on a fork and use a second fork to turn it until the sides and ends are covered. Lift it above the bowl and tap the fork gently against the rim to drain the excess. Draw the underside of the fork across the rim once so the bar lands without a big drip underneath. Nudge it onto the clean parchment with the second fork. Repeat with the remaining centers. As the bowl gets low, tip it slightly so the chocolate collects on one side.
6. Let the shells set in the fridge. Chill the dipped bars for about 20 minutes, until the coating feels dry and firm and the bars lift cleanly from the parchment. Wait for that last cue before stacking them. A set top can still hide a soft spot where chocolate gathered at the base, especially on the first few bars when the bowl was full. If a bar tugs at the paper, give the tray a few more minutes in the fridge.

How to Keep the Chocolate Coating Thin and Smooth

A shallow pool of chocolate gets harder to work with toward the end of the batch. Slide a center into what’s left to coat its underside, then use the back of a dry spoon to draw the coating from the middle of the bar down over its sides. That lets you cover the rounded ends without chasing the piece around the bowl. If you miss a tiny white spot, dab it with a little chocolate before the coated bar goes into the fridge. A loose shred on the fork is easy to pick off with a dry paper towel before dipping the next piece.

Cold centers draw heat out of the bowl, so you may notice the coating starting to cling to the fork in a thick layer halfway through. Put the remaining centers back in the freezer and warm the bowl for 10 to 15 seconds at half power. Stir well before dipping again. If water has splashed into the bowl and the chocolate has turned into a stiff, grainy paste, start with fresh wafers in a dry bowl. Keep a damp cloth away from the dipping station. A few drops can spoil the texture of an entire bowl of melted coating.

A little rim of chocolate around the base is common with hand-dipped candy. If you want tidier edges for a gift box, let the shell firm up and trim any wide drips with the tip of a small knife. Keep the blade close to the parchment and trim only the flat overhang. A knife angled into the bar can lift a bigger piece of the shell than you meant to remove.

If you dipped the bars in a chopped dark chocolate bar and see pale streaks as they cool, those can be chocolate bloom. The chocolate can look dull when it sets without tempering. The candy can still go on the dessert tray if it has been stored properly. For a matching finish across a whole batch, coat all the bars with the same wafers and let them set on a flat tray before moving them to a container.

Snack-Size Bars and Other Ways to Shape Them

Make little bites for a cookie tray. Split each of the 16 portions in half and shape 32 short pieces. Give each one a flat side so there’s a place to balance it on the fork. Start checking the centers after about 25 minutes in the freezer since the smaller pieces firm up faster. You may need more coating if you make all 32, because there are twice as many ends to cover. Keep 2 extra ounces of wafers handy if you’re planning a full tray of minis. They’re also a good size to tuck into paper candy cups beside fudge or caramels.

Cut rectangles from a loaf pan. Line an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving enough paper above the long sides to lift out the filling. Press the coconut mixture into an even slab with the bottom of a dry measuring cup. Freeze it for 15 to 20 minutes, until the slab holds together but a knife can still pass through it. Lift it onto a board, slice it lengthwise into four strips, then cut each strip into four pieces. Separate the pieces on a lined tray and return them to the freezer until firm enough to dip. This gives you 16 straight-sided bars and saves some time at the shaping stage.

Change the coating for a sweeter bite. Use 12 ounces of milk chocolate melting wafers for a milder cocoa flavor. If you’re after an Almond Joy-style variation, press one roasted unsalted almond into the top of each center while the coconut mixture is soft, then freeze and dip in the milk chocolate coating. Nestle the almond into the filling so it stays on the bar when you roll it through the chocolate. If you’re making both kinds, give the almond batch a separate tray so it’s easy to tell which is which.

Common Questions

Can I use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk?

Use sweetened condensed milk for this recipe. Evaporated milk pours more readily and lacks the sugar and thickness that help the filling hold together. Cream of coconut is another product you might see on a shelf nearby. It has its own balance of sugar and liquid, so reach for the can labeled sweetened condensed milk to get the filling texture described here.

Can I use chocolate chips for dipping?

You can use 12 ounces of dark or semisweet chips. Once melted, some brands stay quite thick. Dip one center first and see whether the excess runs off the fork. If it hangs there in a heavy layer, put a little melted chocolate on the parchment under each bar, then spoon more over the tops and smooth it down the sides. Fill in the ends with the tip of the spoon. This gives you more control than trying to turn a cold coconut center in thick chocolate.

Can I melt the chocolate on the stove?

Set a completely dry heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. The bowl should sit above the water. Stir the wafers as they melt and lift the bowl away from the heat when you have a few pieces left. Keep stirring until they disappear. Wipe the outside of the bowl with a dry towel before setting it near the coconut centers, especially if steam has collected along the bottom.

Can I make a double batch?

Double the coconut and condensed milk, portion the filling while it’s soft, and freeze the centers in a single layer on separate trays. Melt the coating in two batches so the bowl stays warm enough to dip comfortably. Waiting until the first bowl runs low to melt the second one keeps most of the chocolate fluid without several trips to the microwave. If your freezer fits only one tray at a time, cover the second batch of shaped centers and refrigerate it while the first freezes.

Make Ahead, Store, and Serve

For candy you’re serving the next day, dip the bars and let the shells set fully before packing them. An airtight container with parchment between the layers keeps the bottoms of the bars from scuffing the tops of the ones beneath. Refrigerate the bars and use them within 4 days for the best texture. If you have extra coating in the bowl, spread it thin on parchment and let it set. Break it into pieces to chop over ice cream later.

For longer storage, freeze the finished bars. Once the coating is firm, layer them with parchment in an airtight freezer container. Use them within 2 months for best quality. Thaw the container in the fridge overnight with the lid on. Leaving it closed during thawing helps keep condensation off the chocolate. If you’re packing a few for a dessert tray, take out only the ones you plan to serve and leave the rest cold.

The center gets a little softer after 5 to 10 minutes out of the fridge. Give the bars that short rest if you want to cut a few in half for serving. With a sharp, dry knife, press straight down through the shell and coconut. Wipe the blade between cuts so the chocolate crumbs don’t drag through the pale filling. Set the halves cut-side up on the platter so people can see what’s inside.

Homemade Mounds Bars

Chewy coconut candy bars with a thin dark chocolate shell. This three-ingredient copycat recipe makes about 16 hand-shaped bars.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 bars

Equipment

• 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet
• Second tray of similar size
• Parchment paper
• Mixing bowl and spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Dry, narrow microwave-safe bowl with about a 2-cup capacity
• two forks

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups finely shredded unsweetened coconut measured loosely, plus up to 2 tablespoons if needed
• ¾ cup sweetened condensed milk plus up to 1 tablespoon if needed
• 12 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers

Instructions

 

• Line both trays with parchment. Combine the coconut with all but 2 tablespoons of the measured condensed milk. Rest for 2 minutes, then squeeze a spoonful. Add the reserved milk 1 tablespoon at a time if the filling crumbles. If it still feels dry, add extra milk 1 teaspoon at a time, up to 1 tablespoon. If the filling slumps, add up to 2 tablespoons extra coconut, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Divide into 16 portions. Firmly press each into a bar about 2½ inches long and 1 inch wide with rounded ends and a slightly flattened base. Arrange on one lined tray. Freeze for about 40 minutes, until the centers lift without bending. If they still bend, freeze for 10 more minutes and check again.
• In the dry microwave-safe bowl, heat the wafers at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir and continue at the same power in 15-second bursts, stirring after each, until smooth.
• Working with three or four centers at a time, keep the rest in the freezer. Dip each bar with the two forks, tap off excess coating, and transfer to the second lined tray.
• Refrigerate for about 20 minutes, until the shells feel firm and the bars lift cleanly from the parchment.

Notes

• A chopped dark baking bar can replace the melting wafers by weight. Keep bars made with plain melted chocolate chilled until shortly before serving.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best quality, freeze for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator with the container closed.