Coconut Craquelins Recipes

CHEWY CRISPY COCONUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder; stir into the creamed mixture. Add the oatmeal, crushed cereal and coconut and mix until combined.
• Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cookies should be light brown at the edges and on the bottom. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

COCONUT CRAQUELINS

Steps:

• Dice the butter and blend it with the flour until the mixture is the texture of fine meal. Blend in the 1/2 cup sugar and the salt. Add the coconut and the egg, folding the dough over itself several times until it is homogeneous.
• Divide it in half, and form two rolls, each 1 inch in diameter. Wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight.
• After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Brush the rolls lightly with water, roll them in the remaining sugar and slice on a slant 1/4 inch thick. Place them on the baking sheet, and bake 15 to 17 minutes, until they are golden on the bottom.
• Turn the cookies over, and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies in the oven another 10 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack.

COCONUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Brush an 8-inch baking dish generously with coconut oil or coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of toasted coconut in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.
• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the coconut cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring frequently especially toward the end, until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees and caramel is a light golden brown and thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger and cardamom.
• Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Once the caramel stops bubbling and the surface forms a thin skin, about 3 minutes, sprinkle another 4 tablespoons toasted coconut across the surface. Allow to cool at room temperature and set completely, about 2 hours.
• Run a spatula around the sides of the baking dish, loosen and lift the caramel, and move onto a board or clean surface.
• Slice the caramel into 8 (1-inch-wide) strips, then across into 1/2-inch pieces, so you have about 72 caramels. Roll the sides of each piece in more toasted coconut. Wrap as individual sweets using 4- to 5-inch squares of parchment, wax paper, or cellophane, or use store-bought candy wrappers, twisting the ends to seal. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. Caramels will keep stored at room temp for up to 7 days or frozen after wrapping for up to 1 month.