Janisa loves eating and experimenting in the kitchen. She enjoys creating new recipes and homemade versions of popular store-bought foods.

Better Than Storebought!

Why Buy Bounties When you can Just Make Them at Home?





Ever since I can remember, I've had a major sweet tooth, especially for ice cream and chocolate. My North American favorites have always been Bounty bars, Reese and Twix. I used to buy them ten at a time, until that day when I decided to read the ingredients list to find out what makes them so good. The majority of the ingredients are things that can be bought at any grocery store. There are also some additives that I can't pronounce, but that's just another reason to make these sweets myself.

Long story short, I now only occasionally buy Bounty bars, Twix, and other common candy bars. I have done my research and experimented in the kitchen enough and now know how to make them at home. I will share my homemade Twix recipe another time ;)

Chocolate Bars at Home?

It seems too much of an unrealistic daydream come true, but it is indeed possible. The shapes may not be as perfect or appealing as those of store-bought sweets, but they will still taste just as great and will be way healthier. Keep in mind, you will only be using common ingredients, so your sweets will contain no artificial additives or taste-intensifiers.

Using simple ingredients to make Bounty bars at home, you will know exactly what you're eating and will always be in control. Find milk chocolate too sweet? No problem, just use dark chocolate for dipping instead. Worried about the number of calories in regular condensed milk? You're more than welcome to use the low-fat alternative instead! Obsessed with white chocolate? Sure thing, swap out milk chocolate for white chocolate when you get to the dipping step!

Preparation

Prep time: around 10 minutes for the filling and around 10 minutes for the coating

Cooling time: 4 hours for the filling; 30 minutes after dipping the first time; 30 minutes after applying the second layer of chocolate

Putting it all together: around 20 minutes

Yields: 30+ mouthwatering homemade Bounty bars (or more if you make them into smaller sizes)

Ingredients

1 (300mL) can condensed milk (normal or low-fat)

3 1/2 cups coconut, shredded

200 grams (milk/dark/white) chocolate, melted

7 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Instructions

Add coconut and condensed milk to a bowl. Mix well. If the mixture is too runny, feel free to add more coconut. When satisfied with the consistency, place in the fridge for around 30 minutes (optional). If you're short on time, proceed straight to the next step. Form small rectangles out of the coconut and condensed milk mixture. Approximately 3x7 cm or whatever size you prefer. Place on a lined baking sheet and into the freezer for 2+ hours, preferably overnight. When the filling has had time to freeze, it is time to start on the chocolate coating. Boil water in a medium pot. Place another, smaller sized pot inside the pot with water. Make sure that no water gets into the second pot. Place the (milk) chocolate into the second pot (the one without any water in it). Before this, break the chocolate into smaller pieces, to make melting easier. Add the coconut oil as well. Stir often until completely melted and well blended. Now, it is time to put our mouth-watering creation together! Take out the filling from the freezer. Use two forks to hold and dip the filling into the chocolate. Place the dipped piece back onto the baking sheet. Repeat until you have coated all the rectangles. Repeat the previous step to add a second layer of coating to the treats. Return to the freezer for another 2+ hours. Remove from the baking sheet and place into a bowl for serving. Eat and enjoy! Store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge. (Note: I have found that glass containers are better than plastic containers for storing these bars. Washing coconut oil from plastic is a pain, trust me. Glass containers are not only easier to clean later, but I've found them to be more airtight than their plastic counterparts.)

Possible Challenges

Although this is a fairly simple recipe to make, with few ingredients, mistakes are still possible. They will most likely happen if it is your first time making this recipe. Here are some possible problems and how to fix/avoid them:

Problem:

The filling (coconut and condensed milk) is too liquidy, and it is impossible to work with.

Solution:

Place the mixture into the freezer for some time, but not for too long. The filling should have enough time to thicken, but shouldn't harden completely. Otherwise it will be too challenging and cold to work with. Around half an hour in the freezer should do the trick.

Another option is to add more coconut. If you have a very sweet tooth, then you should consider using sweetened shredded coconut for this recipe.

Problem:

The filling mixture is too dry and falls apart when you try to do something with it.

Solution:

Most likely the reason for this is too much coconut. Consider adding more condensed milk, but don't overdo it or you'll end up with a very sticky and gooey mixture.

Problem:

The filling rectangles fall apart when dipped into the chocolate coating.

Solution:

This can be solved by holding the filling rectangles very gently when dipping into the coating. Do not simply drop them into the coating mixture. And do not leave them in the melted chocolate for prolonged periods of time. This will cause the filling to melt and fall apart. If you can't get your coconut and condensed milk rectangles to stay whole no matter how much you try, consider cutting them in half. This way you'll get bounty "bites" that will be just as delicious.

Problem:

The coating doesn't properly cover the filling. Some spots are uncovered and/or the surface is bumpy.

Solution:

All you need to solve this issue is another layer or two of chocolate. However, do not apply the second layer immediately! Give the first layer a chance to dry and cool off first. Then, continue to apply more layers of chocolate until you are satisfied with the result. Just remember to give the previous layer a chance to cool off before you apply the next one.

Other problems?

Feel free to ask in the comments and I'll be more than happy to answer!





Variations

Recently I've been seeing white chocolate editions of some popular candy bars, such as KitKat and Aero. White chocolate covered Prestigio bars (Brazilian version of Bounties) are abundant in Brazil, but not in North America.

However, this is no longer an issue now that you know how easy it is to make your own bounty bars! You can also make these with dark chocolate instead or swap out the condensed milk for dulce de leche.

© 2018 Janisa

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on April 04, 2018:

This looks delicious and easy to make!

Janisa (author) from Earth on March 21, 2018:

@MaryWickison Ice cube trays are actually a great idea! If using those, you can make square or circular shaped bounties instead.

Not sure about the coconut juice, never tried using it. You could try adding some to the filling mixture and if it makes it too liquidy, just add more shredded coconut. You could also experiment adding some of the coconut juice to the chocolate mixture, but add a little at a time, making sure that the chocolate doesn't become too watery.

Let me know what works when you make them!

Mary Wickison from Brazil on March 21, 2018:

I was already planning how to get them into my freezer (it's small). I think ice cube trays would work, wouldn't it?

Any problem if I use fresh coconut since I live on a coconut farm, I always have some available.

Janisa (author) from Earth on March 07, 2018:

If you want to make them less sweet, just add more coconut (and be sure to use unsweetened coconut flakes)

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on March 03, 2018:

I love Bounty bars, though they are slightly too sweet for my taste. Your homemade version sounds delicious. I plan to try your recipe soon.

Louise Powles from Norfolk, England on March 03, 2018:

Oh that sounds delicious. Definitely trying this recipe!