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This Copycat See’s Bordeaux recipe recreates the famous See’s Candy bon bons at home.
Made with brown sugar, butter, cream, and a hint of coffee, each bite melts into a sweet, creamy center coated in rich chocolate. Perfect for gifting or enjoying during the holidays, these homemade candies taste just like the real thing.
Reasons You’ll Want to Make Them
If you grew up loving See’s Candy, this recipe will bring back memories. It’s a spot-on recreation of the original Bordeaux, with that signature buttery brown sugar filling and smooth chocolate shell.
They’re surprisingly easy to make and store beautifully for the holidays. You can even adjust the flavor by using dark or milk chocolate, or adding coffee for a little extra depth.
What You’ll Need To Make Them
The complete recipe with ingredient quantities is listed in the recipe card below, but here is a quick summary.
The filling is made from simple ingredients: brown sugar, butter, and cream, which cook together to create a caramel-like sweetness. A bit of instant coffee (optional) adds depth and enhances the chocolate. The outer coating is melted chocolate with a touch of butter for smooth dipping.
Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or drizzle extra chocolate on top for that classic Bordeaux look.
How to Make Copycat See’s Bordeaux
This is a quick overview. Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Start by boiling brown sugar and butter until smooth and caramelized.
- Stir in cream, coffee, and salt, then add powdered sugar to form a soft dough.
- Once cooled and firm, roll the mixture into small balls and chill.
- Melt chocolate with butter, then dip each candy until coated.
- Let them set on wax paper, drizzle extra chocolate if desired, and enjoy once firm.
Substitutions and Variations
These homemade bon bons are easy to customize.
• Use milk chocolate instead of dark for a closer match to See’s version.
• Skip the coffee if you want the traditional flavor.
• Add a dash of sea salt on top for a modern twist.
• Try shaping the filling in silicone molds for perfectly uniform candies.
Leftovers and Storage
Store Bordeaux candies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or refrigerate for up to two weeks.
For longer storage, freeze them for up to two months. Just let them come to room temperature before serving to avoid condensation dulling the chocolate. This is what happened in my photo below.
Learn From Me
I’ve made these candies many times, and a few small tips make all the difference.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent the sugar mixture from burning.
- Let the filling cool until firm enough to roll. If it’s too soft it won’t hold shape.
- When dipping, freeze the centers briefly for easier handling, and if the chocolate loses its shine, just drizzle more on top. They’ll still taste incredible.
Similar Recipes You’ll Love
Making a special holiday platter or looking to gift homemade goodies? I have so many candy and holiday treat Christmas recipes, but here are a few of my absolute favorites:
- Five Minute Microwave Fudge
- Peanut Brittle
- Homemade Candied Pecans
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Salted Mocha Caramels
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Ingredients
Inside filling:
- 1 cup golden brown sugar packed, C&H brand recommended, other brands may result in a more grainy texture
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee (finely ground) Optional, See's Bordeaux does not have coffee, but I liked the flavor it added (I used Starbucks Via)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Outer chocolate coating:
- 12 ounces dark chocolate
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Using a heavy bottom saucepan, melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 cup golden brown sugar together over medium high heat and bring to boil. Allow to boil for about two minutes.
- Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon instant coffee (finely ground) (if using), and a 1/8 teaspoon salt and allow to come to a boil again for about 30 seconds while stirring constantly to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add 2 cups sifted powdered sugar to mixture and stir in well until a consistent dough is formed. Chill until mixture holds shape similar to play dough, about 2 hours.
- Roll sugar dough into 1-inch balls and set on a wax paper lined sheet. Freeze for about 10 minutes for easier dipping.
- Melt 12 ounces dark chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter at 50% power in 1 minute increments in microwave, stirring after each minute, until melted.
- Dip candy balls into melted chocolate and allow to set on the wax paper. Either sprinkle with chocolate cake sprinkles or pipe a very thin stream of chocolate on top, if desired.
- Store in airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe, on behalf of my Wife,…who fondly tempered them from youth, to GREAT success! Blew her mind, thank you! A hint,…allow cream to come to room temp, before mixing in.
I followed the directions easily and they are good – but not enough brown sugar taste and maybe too much coffee? I love Bordeaux’s but this recipe needs more tweaking to taste more like the original. Going to work on it. Will let you know. I also used little muffin papers and it’s much easier than the balls being dipped. I made white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate today… milk chocolate is the better of the three. (Ghiradelli chips)
First time trying this out and… they’re pretty good! Had some difficulty with the texture, but think I can tweak it. Might need to boil a little less. Still, delicious!
Do you pack the brown sugar?
Yep. Not crazy tight, but I always pack it to level it out and remove pockets of air.
I made these last year at Christmas time and they were a huge hit. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is definitely an improvement on my 1se attempt to make this the heating of the butter and brown sugar makes it smooth and creamy. I am going to make these for Christmas my favorites. O still have some chocolate sprinklers on hand the freezing is the most important step. Thank you for posting this.
What’s a good substitute for the chocolate rice (that’s what they call it) that Sees sprinkles on its bonbons?
You could use standard chocolate sprinkles from the grocery store, but they won’t taste as good as what See’s uses.
Haselslagg it’s a German toast topper , it’s made with real chocolate
Everything worked perfectly as written! After making a sample batch that was to die for, I am make making these in bulk today for teacher gifts. Thank you!
Now see I’ve made these four times now, some as gifts and they always get rave reviews. It’s amazing how they taste like the real deal! Never knew that one day I would be able to make the most specialist of treats that mom and I would enjoy during my childhood. Thank you Krissy!
This recipe is unusable. Every stove is different, so times and settings vary. Please provide temperatures. I cooked my brown sugar and butter to 234 (thread) as one would for a fudge, added my coffee powder and cream, beat rapidly, and pulled it off because I could tell it was too hot already. Sure enough, it seized into a hard mass as soon as I added the sugar. I threw it in my stand mixer and it crumbled. I added a bit of cream to revive it, which softened and smoothed it, but it retains a texture which is gritty and not what I was going for at all, and the coffee is way too strong.
Overall, can’t recommend this recipe. Will have to develop my own. (I tried to rate 1 star but it won’t let me, button is broken.)
Sorry it didn’t work for you! It worked for me and I wrote up the directions based on how I made them.
Hi, can’t wait to try these. I was wondering if you use Aragon in your chocolate for dipping? If so how much? Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve never heard of Aragon. What is it?
What do you use for the outer coating
It’s the dark chocolate melted with a little butter.
I made these but my mixture came out more like fudge and not creamy. They still taste good. I spread it into a square baking dish and cut it in squares and dipped them
In chocolate. Next time I won’t cook it as long and use a little less coffee.
The recipe is still delicious. Thanks for posting
I made these for my family and it was such a big hit!! I am actually making more just because they tasted so great and I gave most away. This batch will be for my personal indulgence .
I have not made this yet but have seen the same recipe a zillion times on the net. I never, however, have seent hat you should bring the mixture to even th soft ball stage
Omg, made this for a gift and wish I had kept it all! Delicious! Will make again and again.