A Homemade Kitchen: Mounds Bars - Handle the Heat
Filed Under: Chocolate | Dessert

A Homemade Kitchen: Mounds Bars

By Tessa Arias
  |  
October 7th, 2011
3.50 from 12 votes
3.50 from 12 votes

Homemade Mounds Bars have a blissful chocolate + coconut taste. They're even better than the store-bought version! 

Yield: 15 bars

A Homemade Kitchen: Mounds Bars

Homemade Mounds Bars

A Homemade Kitchen series includes recipes that feature homemade versions of your favorite store-bought meals, snacks, treats, condiments and more. Homemade is better for your budget, body, and taste buds.

The recipe has all the things that comprise a recipe I love. It’s extremely simply with only 4 ingredients. You don’t even have to turn the oven on or use your stove-top. It’s a homemade version of your favorite candy bar that tastes loads better. If you wanted you could even add almonds to the top of each coconut bar before dipping in chocolate. It’s pretty much perfect.

If you really wanted to make this a homemade treat, make your own sweetened condensed milk.

Recipe Rundown

Taste: Just like store-bought mounds bars but better. Chocolate + coconut = bliss.
Texture: The chocolate is smooth yet solid while the coconut inside is soft and rich.
Ease: Only 4 ingredients! Dipping the coconut in chocolate does take some time but it’s not difficult.
Appearance: Mine definitely looked homemade, probably because I was too impatient to carefully dip the chocolate. Anything coated in chocolate looks delicious though.
Pros: These bars are simple to make and use simple ingredients – no artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. Plus you could easily make these almond joys.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes!

3.50 from 12 votes

How to make
Homemade Mounds Bars

Yield: 15 bars
Homemade Mounds Bars have a blissful chocolate + coconut taste. They're even better than the store-bought version! 

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt (or another flaked sea salt)
  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions

  1. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or tin foil. Spray with nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl mix together the coconut, salt, and condensed milk until combined. Press mixture into prepared pan and spread into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Freeze for 15 minutes, or until slightly hardened.
  3. In a small microwave-safe bowl melt the chocolate in 15-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between every burst, until smooth.
  4. Remove coconut mixture from pan. Cut into 1-inch bars. Dip the coconut bars in the chocolate, turning to coat with a fork. Let excess drip before placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place mounds bars in fridge until chocolate has set. Bars can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Salty Sweet
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American
Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Jill — July 6, 2023 at 5:58 pm

    This recipe is fantastic! Just a few tweaks I’d make next time because I started with perfect bars and ended up with haystacks toward the end. Both were equally as delicious but the first few were prettier. I definitely needed more than 10 oz of chocolate. Next time I’ll leave the coconut in the freezer longer than 15 mins to make sure they are good and solid. I’ll also work with only half batch leaving the other half in the freezer. Mine thawed quickly. Same goes with the chocolate, I’d heat only half. I used Ghirardelli chips with a tsp of coconut oil, microwaved on level 6 for 15 seconds each before stirring. I’d say it took maybe a minute and a half total to melt. It wasn’t chunky at all. Another person said their coconut wasn’t freezing and I wonder if they used sweetened. Make sure your coconut is unsweetened. It’s drier. Overall these are delicious and I’ll be making them again!

  2. #
    Sammy — January 17, 2021 at 5:52 pm

    Mushy, wet coconut even after a long time in freezer. Fell apart when trying to coat in melted chocolate. The recipe needs more coconut or less sweetened condensed milk. Not happy with the flavor either, so I don’t recommend this recipe

  3. #
    Teri — January 17, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    I love to bake and make candy so it was surprising how badly these turned out for me. The coconut was still wet and mushy after a half hour in the freezer. I tried to make just a couple bars dipped in chocolate to start, and they fell apart as I feared they would. I kept what was left in the pan uncut and coated it with the chocolate and put it in the fridge for a few hours. Still wet and messy but now with a hardened chocolate top. The taste seemed off and too salty.
    I don’t recommend this recipe.

  4. #
    Janet — December 17, 2020 at 6:46 am

    What purpose does the salt have in the mounds bars and can it be omitted. Can the chocolate be from chocolate chips???

    • #
      Tessa — December 17, 2020 at 11:51 am

      The salt balances out the sweetness and I haven’t tried this recipe without it, but you can likely omit if you absolutely must. And I wouldn’t recommend using chocolate chips – I’d try to find a bittersweet chocolate bar to use instead!

  5. #
    Diana Snipes — November 14, 2020 at 1:54 pm

    My name is
    Diana Snipes and I want to know if you can freeze these mouond bars. I would like to make them now but will have them for Christmas. I have so much that I cook that I like to make things ahead of ;time and freeze what I can.

  6. #
    Brian K Neill — July 2, 2020 at 7:08 pm

    0 stars, these things fell apart in the chocolate after being in the freezer for at least 8 hours. NEVER AGAIN!

    • #
      Millie — August 20, 2020 at 12:15 pm

      Agreed, fell apart!!!!

  7. #
    Aner — December 5, 2019 at 8:58 am

    OMG gooooooood

  8. #
    Judy — September 28, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Cho chips are not melting

  9. #
    Brenda Frasier — September 24, 2019 at 8:07 pm

    Always use househole wax in your chocolate. It will make it smooth and shinny. I always use a double boiler. Do this step with your coconut bars.

  10. #
    Pat — July 28, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    Do I have to leave the bars in the fridge ???
    Would rather keep them in a container on the counter.

    • #
      Sharon Broome — September 1, 2019 at 8:00 am

      can you freeze them?

  11. #
    Sharon — July 10, 2019 at 11:00 am

    I made these and they turned out great but they didn’t last 4 days in the refrigerator! Lololol

  12. #
    Terry — April 20, 2019 at 7:32 pm

    Followed the recipe and tweaked with the addition of some vanilla and coconut extracts. Kept them chilled as I dipped them. The coconut filling could easily be shaped by hand into egg shapes for Easter. Just don’t let it get warm on you. The salt is a key ingredient for accenting the coconut flavors. They were delicious and perfect. It’s a great recipe.

    • #
      Cynthia — December 1, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      How much almond extract did you add?

  13. #
    M Dianne Berry — April 11, 2019 at 10:00 pm

    The recipe is good but I layered instead of coated the bars. ( was having vertigo!)
    After freezing the sweetened coconut, I poured half the melted chocolate on another parchment pan, froze for 15 mins, topped it with the coconut, then poured the remaining chocolate on top using the back of a spoon to insure coverage, then chilled in the freezer for 15 mins. Cut in 1 inch squares.
    The other lady was right on the melting is best in the double boiler although I didn’t do it. I have a microwave that has a power heat option so I set it on “6” to prevent drying out.

    Thank you for sharing!

  14. #
    Marty Blaylock — December 24, 2018 at 2:38 pm

    I myself,used 2bags coconut 1can condensed milk. Then 2 bags semi chocolate melted.15 min. Freezing turned out great made 41 balls double diped

  15. #
    Gale — December 15, 2018 at 3:23 pm

    I made into one inch balls and chilled for 20 mi. Used Nestle dark chocolate morsels. Melted half the chocolate with a tsp coconut oil, dipped half the coconut balls, and then repeated the process. Very smooth and easy to dip. Mine are not works of art, but were delicious and easy to make. About 45 min start to finish.

  16. #
    Brenda malone — December 4, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    From all the concerts it seems like it’s good to eat but not good to make I will have to try this thank you

  17. #
    Lynda — October 22, 2017 at 5:18 pm

    What kind of semisweet chocolate do you use? I used semisweet chocolate chips and it was so chunky after I melted it that it was difficult to coat the coconut. I added some butter and milk and even though it appeared to be nice and smooth, it was very chunky when it hardened. Any tips?

  18. #
    Grace Kelly — January 6, 2017 at 11:37 am

    Hi Tessa!

    I tried your recipe twice now and due to my love of almonds, added them as well. I have to say, I will NEVER buy Mounds or Almond Joy bars again! Your recipe is simply incredible; thank you!

    I had a little trouble with them freezing and not dipping well so I made more of what looked like coconut haystacks than mounds bars but they were still delicious! I didn’t use parchment paper and wondered if it makes a difference in the freezing process that would’ve helped the coconut mix to freeze better and maintain its shape when cutting?

  19. #
    Daniel — December 23, 2016 at 8:14 pm

    Follow the directions and found out that 2/3 rds cup of condense milk is way to much made them too runny even after putting them in freezer ! Also Microwave dry out chocolate out to munch and makes it set up too quick ! Need to heat chocolate on stove with double boiler ! I agree with Shandy ! Mine turned into a big o mess ! Sorry !!

  20. #
    Shandy — December 22, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Tried making them today. It took longer thsn 15 mins to freeze for them to stay together. The chocolate was too thick. For 21 balls ( not bars) I tried reheating the chocolate eventually it started turming fudge like. I had to put fresh chips in a bowl. Used a 24oz bag and still didn’t have enough to cover the last 4. They taste great but look very messy. Was not as easy as portrayed

  21. #
    Diane — February 10, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    Making these tomorrow

  22. #
    Corey — October 5, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    How well do they keep if frozen?

    • #
      Tessa — October 5, 2014 at 2:48 pm

      Very well! You could freeze them for at least a few weeks.

  23. #
    Amanda — February 25, 2013 at 11:30 am

    I made these last week and the coconut mixture seemed really thin so I doubled the coconut and sweetened condensed milk and after 15 minutes in the freezer they still were not hard or even firm, so they stayed in the freezer almost an hour and the coconut still fell apart once I started trying to dip it in chocolate so I ended up just leaving them in the pan and pouring the chocolate over them. They were good though and the second attempt is in the freezer now. My dad loves Mounds and he really likes these, it was his idea for me to make them this second time lol.

    • #
      Joseph Orenkewicz — December 13, 2020 at 9:25 am

      I have experimented with using mashed potato flakes (only a little) to firm the mixture and add a tablespoon of powdered sugar. A tablespoon of paraffin wax melted in the chocolate will keep it firmer at a higher temperature.
      You can’t tell the difference from the store bought Mounds!

  24. #
    Emily — January 15, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    My dad loves Mounds and his birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Thanks for the great idea for an original gift!!

  25. #
    James — December 18, 2011 at 8:33 am
  26. #
    Diane — October 31, 2011 at 7:50 am

    oh my goodness I NEED these!!!!

  27. #
    barter411 — October 13, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    You could sell these to people and have a nice little business for yourself. I'll buy some.

  28. #
    JenSchall — October 13, 2011 at 12:14 am

    These look so tasty! Great recipe 🙂

  29. #
    nat@thesweetslife — October 12, 2011 at 4:53 pm

    oh my goodness, I can't wait to try these soon!

  30. #
    ronadelle — October 11, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    I love this! Can I have some please? I'm hungry. Lol! All this are mouth watering!

    Ronadelle ” target=”_blank”>http://www.ronadelle.blogspot.com ” target=”_blank”>http://www.dellechen.blogspot.com

  31. #
    soniarumzi — October 9, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    8600 hits on Stumble. So excited! People love chocolate Tessa. I expect more! Wonderful recipe!

  32. #
    veronica — October 8, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    can you do this with regular salt?

    • #
      Joyce T Raper — November 21, 2019 at 3:51 am

      can you freeze mounds?

  33. #
    Melissa Likes To Eat — October 8, 2011 at 2:18 am

    OH….these look so amazing!!! I don't like that they are easy to make….very dangerous! 🙂

  34. #
    Stephanie — October 7, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    The perfect recipe! I'll be making this for sure! 🙂

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