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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.
Do these taste like coffee?
I don’t think the coffee tastes is strong at all. For me, it feels like it just enhances the flavor. That being said, I drink A LOT of coffee and might detect it at different levels than other people.
1st batch was gritty but the second batch I cooked the brown sugar/butter ingredients longer while stirring constantly and decreased the instant coffee so that it was just a hint of that great coffee flavor and it tasted more like the Sees bordeaux. Delicious. A big hit!
Can you use instant espresso powder in place of instant coffee? Just happen to have instant espresso on hand and thought I’d ask. Would it be too strong and throw off the taste?
That will work perfect!
Absolutely. Delicious.
Rave reviews from some serious Bay Area foodies!
I also added 1/4 tsp cayenne powder to the filling which added just a touch of heat and really pushed it over the top.
I can’t say enough about how good these are. Spot on in flavor. I made for company and everyone couldn’t believe they were homemade! I’ve been craving See’s Bordeaux Candy and didn’t want to order online and pick up (stores here are only open for preorder and pick up). I figured I’d save the money and make them myself. So glad I did. I made them smaller and froze some for when I get another craving. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!!
My mom and I are huge Sees Bordeaux fans. When I realized Sees was closed, I found your recipe and made a batch for Mother’s Day. Of course I had to sample along the way! My daughter also helped with quality control. She and my mom confirmed my critique- “better than See’s!” I think the coffee added is amazing!! Thank you so much for the recipe, Krissy! I loved it so much, I modified it to be low carb so I can enjoy while staying in Ketosis!
Can you substitute whole milk for heavy cream?
For this particular recipe, I wouldn’t.
Have just made these! I’m from the uk but love Sees so didn’t know what to expect however these worked very well. Mine worked well because I spent a lot of time melting the sugar. – a secret of good sweet making me thinks.
Mine turned out quite good with the exception of the slight grittiness as someone else mentioned. Any ideas why this would happen? Thanks in advance.
Russ
If it’s gritty, you may have cooked it too hot/long?
Blown away! So good and so simple.
When I was a kid I bought a pound of Bordeaux for my grandfather for Christmas… Twice. I kept eating them all. 💚
Phenomenal thank you!!