Description

Easy no-bake Pineapple Christmas Balls with cream cheese, crushed pineapple, Jello, and coconut. Creamy tropical holiday treats ready in an hour. Make ahead and freeze.

Ingredients

For the Mixture:

398 mL (14 oz) canned crushed pineapple, well drained
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
3 oz pineapple-flavored gelatin powder (like Jell-O brand)

For Coating:

1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

Yields approximately 24 balls

Substitution Notes:

Cream cheese: Light works but tastes less rich
Graham cracker crumbs: Vanilla wafers or those digestive cookies work
Pineapple gelatin: Orange Jello turns them sunset-colored and tastes amazing
Desiccated coconut: Sweetened bags from the baking aisle work fine, just use less

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Instructions

Step 1: Beat the Cream Cheese

Dump your soft cream cheese in a bowl and beat it until you can’t see any chunks. Two minutes with a mixer, longer if you’re doing it by hand. This is boring but necessary. Those chunks will show up in your finished balls looking like little cottage cheese mistakes.

Step 2: Drain That Pineapple Really Well

Pop open the can and pour everything into a strainer over the sink. Mash it down with a spoon. Then grab a wad of paper towels, wrap up that pineapple, and squeeze like you’re mad at it. Your hands should be tired. If they’re not tired, you didn’t squeeze enough.

Step 3: Add the Remaining Ingredients

Chuck in your squeezed pineapple, one cup coconut, the graham cracker crumbs, and tear open that Jello box. Mix everything until it looks the same color all the way through with no dry powder spots hiding at the bottom.

Step 4: Chill the Mixture

Slap some plastic wrap over your bowl and stick it in the fridge for an hour minimum. I usually pour myself some wine and watch Hallmark movies while I wait. Trying to skip this step just means you’ll be cursing at sticky dough later.

Step 5: Roll Into Balls

Scoop out chunks about the size of a walnut and roll them between your hands. They won’t be perfect spheres and nobody will care. If your hands start looking like you dipped them in tropical quicksand, rinse them off and the bowl goes back in the fridge for ten minutes.

Step 6: Coat in Coconut

Pour your second cup of coconut into something shallow. Roll each ball through it and press down a little so it sticks everywhere. This part’s actually kind of fun and makes them look way fancier than the effort you put in.

Step 7: Store and Chill

Line them up in whatever container has a lid and keep them cold. Pull them out maybe twenty minutes before people show up so they’re not rock-hard from the fridge.

Notes

Buy a cheap cookie scoop. Mine was four dollars and makes every ball basically the same size without me having to think about it.

Cold water on your hands stops the sticking. Just a quick rinse, shake them off, keep rolling. Changes everything.

Roll them twice in coconut if you want them extra pretty. First coat, fifteen minutes in the fridge, second coat. They look bakery-level fancy.

Make a rainbow batch with different Jello flavors. I did orange, raspberry, and lime last year and people lost their minds over the colors.

Don’t rush the chilling. I know you want to taste them right now. I get it. But warm mixture is impossible to work with and you’ll just end up frustrated.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Category: Dessert
Method: No-bake
Cuisine: American