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Delicious chocolate buttons with nonpareil candy coated bottoms! These Chocolate Nonpareils are easy to make and perfect to use for a gift!
Gas Station Treats
I grew up near a gas station called Mr. Pete’s. As a child, I thought that gas station was one of the greatest places on earth. They had movies for rent, Cheerwine (for those of you have not had the privilege of drinking Cheerwine, it’s a cherry soda) , and giant of containers of self-serve candy.
My dad would often take me to Mr. Pete’s and let me pick out candy. My favorite treats were vanilla flavored, Hershey Kiss shaped candies with nonpareil bottoms. Just thinking about it, I can taste them!
Those little candies were one of the inspirations for this recipe. The second inspiration: my mother-in-law.
Mother-In-Law Gift
If you’ve read much of this blog, you know Ireally like dessert, and my husband would rather have a second dinner than a piece of cake. My mother-in-law though, she shares my affinity for all things sugary.
On holidays, my husband often purchases his mom fancy chocolate nonpareils. One holiday after we got married, my mother-in-law share one of her treats with me, and I realized that the candy was like the Mr. Pete’s version I had grown up with, but way better. Mostly because they were chocolate.
Confessions
This last summer my husband and I took our kids to the Jersey shore for a family vacation. On the boardwalk there was a candy shop that sold nonpareils. I saw them and decided it would be a nice to purchase my mother-in-law a box.
I wanted to try one of the candies to see if they were tasty. Well, I did taste them, and they were very tasty. I’m not 100% what happened, but I suppose I kept tasting them until we returned.
We got back home my husband saw the half-eaten box of candy and said something along the lines of, “ummm, you can’t give a half eaten box of candy as a gift.”
So, I finished the box of candy. And then felt like a terrible chocolate thief of a human.
Homemade Chocolate Nonpareils
Since the chocolate thieving incident, I had been bound and determined that I would make chocolate nonpareils to give to my mother-in-law. This past week, it finally happened.
These are amazing because a) they’re easy to make, b) you can make them with your favorite chocolates, and c) they’re beautiful.
If you’re looking for a delicious, homemade chocolate gift, these chocolate nonpareils are the way to go!
12/21/2020 Update
I have updated the recipe with new photos, and also want to add two quick notes:
- This candy will taste like the chocolate that you use. So, use good quality chocolate that you love!
- You will also taste the nonpareils that you use, so make sure that you like them as well. Honestly, I have strong preferences on brands. I find many store brands to taste waxy, so I recommended using a brand name.
Delicious chocolate buttons with nonpareil candy coated bottoms! These Chocolate Nonpareils are easy to make and perfect to use for a gift!
4.60 from 10 votes
Course: Dessert
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 30 1″ candies
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate see note
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup nonpareils
Instructions
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour nonpareils over parchment paper.
Place chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Heat at 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring well after each increment. Continue heating/stirring until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Once smooth, stir in vanilla extract.
Place chocolate in a pastry bag and cut tip off end of bag. Pipe ~1″ sized rounds on top of nonpareils. Let sit for at least 1 hour to harden. You may also move the baking sheet to the freezer to allow chocolate to harden more quickly.
Notes
I use Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate. However, you could also use milk or dark chocolate, or another brand of chocolate.
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
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If you enjoyed these Chocolate Nonpareils, you may also enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Buckeyes (Peanut Butter Chocolate Candy)
Chocolate Cherry Truffles
Nutella Truffles
Peppermint Bark Fudge
Glazed Shortbread Cookies
