Coconut has been one of my all-time favorite nuts. I sometimes take a break from it but now I’m back in my coconut mood. Earlier, I wrote a blog about how you can safely get water out of a coconut, and today I’m going to share with you how I made a simple, yummy, coconut dessert from scratch.
I used dried coconuts to make my coconut drops. You can typically get these from the supermarket in the produce section. Coconut has so many health benefits and it taste so good, you cannot go wrong with coconut treats. Also, now that the kids are back in school, this is a perfect opportunity to make these delicious sweet treats for them to snack on after school.
How I Make my Coconut Drops
I used one dried coconut for this recipe. I started by washing the coconut off, then removing the coconut water without spilling or wasting any. See my trick to get water out of a dried coconut. After I poured out the coconut water, I broke the husk/shell, removed the coconut with a knife (use caution when doing this part).
I then slice them in long 3-inch strips with 1/4 inch width pieces, then little squares. I added some grated fresh ginger (scrape the skin off the ginger) to the sliced coconuts.
I also added a pinch of salt and 2 cups of brown sugar. You need that much sugar to help the pieces of coconut stick together after it becomes cool.
I added about 2-3 cups of water or enough to cover the contents of the pot.
Boil all the ingredients together (coconut, ginger, salt, and brown sugar) until all the liquid dries out and you start to see small frothy bubbles. At this time, you need to keep stirring so that the coconut doesn’t start to burn, as this will make it really dark and bitter.
Keep stirring the mixture with a big spoon until it almost looks like there’s no more liquid in it. It should have just enough wetness to keep the pieces of coconut together.
You can test it by looking at the liquid on the spoon to see if it dries fast. Some people may like their coconut drops a bit wet but I like mines dry to the touch (when it’s cool), like you’d be eating a piece of cake with your hands. Use caution when handling hot drops as this can cause serious burn if not handled carefully.
As you take them out spoon-by-spoon, drop the content on a baking tray. You don’t have to use grease paper because when the coconut drops dry, they will come off easily without breaking apart. Let them cool thoroughly before trying to take a bite out of this delicious coconut dessert. Enjoy!