3-Ingredient Coconut Candy

Submitted by mersaydees

"Based on a recipe from Heidi Haughy Cusick’s book, Soul and Spice, African Cooking in the Americas. This book is chock-filled with Caribbean, Bahia Brazilian, and Louisiana Creole recipes. She says, “Known as tablette in the Caribbean and cocada in Bahia, this confection combines the Spanish and Portuguese penchant for sweets with the African resourcefulness for using available ingredients: sugar from the cane fields and the abundant adopted coconut. Easy to make, these candies have been satisfying sweet tooths in the Caribbean for two centuries.” Historical note: Sugarcane came to the Caribbean with Columbus on his second voyage in 1494, when he established the first European settlement in the West Indies on Hispaniola; unrefined brown sugar was most commonly used in households; it came in foots, hard cylinders that were grated for use. I haven’t tried this yet."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Yields: 6 candies

ingredients

• 473.18 ml sugar
• 118.29 ml water
• 473.18 ml fresh coconut, finely grated or 473.18 ml dried unsweetened coconut

directions

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or waxed paper. Lightly grease it.
2. In a heavy saucepan over high heat, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cook until a syrup forms, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the coconut and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it register s 234°F (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, or until a small bit dropped into a glass of ice water holds together and is quite soft when pressed between your fingertips. Remove from heat.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet and flatten into 3-inch rounds.
5. When cool and firm, wrap individually in plastic wrap.
6. Store in an airtight container up to a week.

Reviews

[TALIA 3]

I made this for dessert. It was really nice, especially when served with vanilla ice cream and glace cherries. I used mostly brown sugar as we ran out of cane sugar. for anyone else making this recipe, i would recommend getting the mixture out of the pan and onto the baking tray asap, because when i left some of mine in the pot for a bit long, it burnt. 5 stars for a great dessert! :)

 

[Kittencalrecipezazz]

oh gosh this is so addictive and so easy to make, I pulled mine off at a few degrees sooner that 234 F for a softer texture which worked just fine, great treat mersaydees, thanks for posting, made for 123 tag game!

 

[Leahs Kitchen]

These were good. I didn't exactly go by the timing. I just boiled it with the coconut in it until the syrup and the coconut turned a golden color and the bubbles were not frothy but big and slowly bubbling. This was a good recipe I added a little bit of ginger to it to give a little zip. I also used unsweetened dry coconut chips which are quite a bit larger than the finely grated. Thanks for posting. :) Made for ZWT5.

 

[Debbie R.]

I halved the recipe, and that didn't work so well. By the time, I checked in ice water (only 5 minutes after being on high heat), it all of a sudden turned a light golden brown and did a cracking thread in the ice water when I tested. (No, I don't have a candy thermometer. I think it's vital.) So I forged ahead with putting in the coconut. It turned out to be a coconut brittle; very delicious too, but not what the recipe intended. I put the candy on a plate that was greased with butter. This is really the way to go on greasing anything for candy. It adds just a touch of a great butter flavor; it's much more appetizing and tasty than shortening, oil or spray. I think next time I will use a candy thermometer, not halve it, and I'll also cook it on medium rather than high.