Coconut Drops

Chrisal recreates her granny’s recipe for Coconut Drops. This snack has a signature rough exterior with a dense but moist interior and is traditionally made only with grated coconut and spices. More recent recipes have included raisins, cherries and mixed fruits. Coconut Drops or Rock Cake is a popular sweet, coconut based, baked snack that can be found in bakeries across Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean.

Coconut Drops

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Cuisine All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups freshly grated coconut
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup raisins / currants
• 1/2 -1 cup brown sugar (adjust to preferences)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk / water
• 1/4 cup cold butter (cut into small cubes)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp coconut or vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup Cuisine Raisins (optional)
• 1/4 cup Cuisine Mixed Cherries (optional)

Yields 12 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease pan or cookie sheets
2. Sift flour and add in all dry ingredients – baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut, raisins. Make sure it is well combined.
3. Add butter and cut in with hands or a fork and set aside. Using the cold butter will give it a crumbly texture.
4. Mix essence and milk together then make a small well in your dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to it. Mix well (but not over mix) – the dough will be firm and tacky.
5. Add raisins and mixed cherries to batter
6. Using an ice cream scoop or 2 spoons, scoop out the mixture  (about 2 inches in diameter or how big or small you’d like) unto the baking sheet and ensure they do not touch.
7. Add a maraschino cherry on top (optional)
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
9. At about 17 mins or so, take them out and glaze with a simple syrup of sugar and water (1:1 ratio of sugar dissolved in warm water) and put back in oven for about 2 or 3 mins.
10. When they’re out, sprinkle with sugar as a final step (optional)

Try This Coconut Bake Recipe