Happy World Nutella Day! A Homemade Twist To The Mounds Bar.

I've never been a big candy person. Even when I was a kid. I'd always choose cake or cookies over candy. But did I have my favorite candies too? Most definitely!

To this day, I have a soft spot for Mounds Bars. All that chocolate and coconut. Love it! Some of you might remember the old commercials. "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Almond Joys got nuts. Mounds don't."

So recently, I've noticed the new Almond Joy Mounds commercials. I'm not sure that the commercial is doing what they intended. It's making me crave chocolate and coconut. But I didn't buy their candy. Instead I bought shredded coconut and started thinking of recipes for World Nutella Day. And this year is extra special. This sweet holiday is five years old! Thank you to co-hosts Sara Rosso from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle Fabio from Bleeding Espresso for this wonderful event!

Making candy isn't that difficult. I've made my fair share. As I watched the commercial, I started thinking about the mechanics of a Mounds Bar. "It's chocolate coating over a coconut filling. What if I used Nutella as part of the coating?"

So I searched for homemade Mounds Bar recipes online. There are many! A recipe on epicurean.com was my main pick, but I also referred to this recipe on Lynn's Kitchen Adventures for more detailed directions and an alternate version.

Now I have to say that the candy didn't come out exactly as I would have liked, so please take this recipe with a grain of salt. It tastes incredible, but the coconut mixture didn't solidify the way it should have, so I'm keeping it in the pan in the fridge. I used coconut milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. I can't bring myself to buy it because it is just too sweet, but I keep coconut milk in the house.

I'll have to make some additional changes to the recipe next time. Mostly I will try reducing the proportion of liquid. Also, I used a square pan instead of a 9 x 13 rectangular pan, which the recipe called for. I don't have one! That could have impacted the lack of firmness too. Maybe that's why my brownies never come out right? But I digress... Also, I might cut the recipe in half next time. This is way too much candy unless you're serving a crowd. But then again, I'm not a candy person. : )

Homemade Nutella Mounds Bars

2/3 cup coconut milk (amount should be reduced next time)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
2 1/3 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup Nutella
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine coconut milk, vanilla, sugar, and coconut flakes. Spread mixture in a baking pan and chill until firm (or you lose patience). I put the pan into the freezer for an hour.

In a microwave safe dish, add Nutella and both types of chocolate chips. Heat for 30 seconds then stir. Repeat until melted. Spread chocolate Nutella mixture onto coconut filling and chill until firm. Cut into bars and serve.

A roundup of all the recipes will be posted on Monday, February 7, 2011, so make sure to check back. Have a good weekend everyone!

*Updated 2/7/2011* Below are links to the recipe roundups!

World Nutella Day 2011 Roundup Part 1
World Nutella Day 2011 Roundup Part 2


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