Hawaiian Coconut Candy

Hawaiian Coconut Candy

When taking suggestions from the peanut gallery on Hawaii, besides SPAM (which I’ve shot down for the moment), AC offered up Hawaiian coconut candy, a favorite of hers and her hubs while on their Hawaiian honeymoon almost six years ago.

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I’m intrigued.

Rarely do I make candy (ignoring the fact that I made Hokey Pokey a few weeks ago). It’s not something that I necessarily crave to make the same way that sometimes I just need to make a cake.  I also find that, depending on the type of candy, it has a small margin for error (which Orange reminded me tonight when she emailed me about burnt Hokey Pokey…) and I really don’t like it when I mess up.  Still, the coconut candy was calling my name.

So I bought a coconut.

As last week went by and the candy was still not made, at a certain point I realized that I had to make the candy. I mean, I had this coconut. What else was I to do?

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This candy seems to be a favorite for anyone who has ever traveled to Hawaii, specifically Maui. They sell it in stands on the side of the road.  Baked and sprinkled with brown sugar, it’s a very regional Hawaiian treat.

Tonight being the first evening of fall, I figured I’d twist up this coconut candy by making it pumpkin spicy. I mean, what would this blog be without the mandated pumpkin spice treat (for another, check out my most favorite pumpkin bread)?  So, here it is. Sweet, chewy and full of fall.

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The other plus side of this recipe is the sugar syrup: once you’re done boiling the coconut and reducing the syrup, you have your very own pumpkin spice sugar syrup- perfect for making your own homemade pumpkin spice latte! You know you love me.

Note:  You’re going to have to shell a coconut to make this. I did this not so successfully a few months ago, but this time seemed to go more smoothly. Check out this step by step.  I’m not going to lie- it was a lot of work, but something that I can see getting easier with practice. And maybe a saw.

Once the coconut was de-shelled, I had to figure out the best way to peel it. My vegetable peeler is sort of crap, so I tried a box grater, my new spiralizer and the mandolin blade on my food processor, the latter being the best and easiest option.  Once it’s thinly sliced that way, use a paring knife to cut it to thin strips.

 The recipe card app thing wasn’t working tonight, but I’ll fix it ASAP

Adapted from Lemons & Lavender

 

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Pumpkin Spice Hawaiian Coconut Candy

September 22, 2014
: Yield 1 cup
: 1 hr 45 min
: Easy

Traditional Hawaiian coconut candy flavored with the favorite flavors of fall- pumpkin spice!

By:

Ingredients
  • 1 whole coconut
  • 3 ¾ cups water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 TB vanilla extract
  • ¾ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp allspice
Directions
  • Step 1 Shell the coconut.
  • Step 2 Using a vegetable peeler (or a mandolin grater), shave the coconut into long strips and set aside.
  • Step 3 In a medium sized, heavy bottom saucepan, add the water to the sugar and stir until dissolved.
  • Step 4 Add the vanilla, spices and coconut and increase the heat to high.
  • Step 5 Let it go to a rolling boil for about 30-45 minutes, until the sugar syrup has reduced by about 2/3.
  • Step 6 Preheat the oven to 275F.
  • Step 7 Remove the strips of coconut with tongs, allowing excess syrup to drip off. Place on a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer.
  • Step 8 Bake 25-30 minutes until the coconut has browned and caramelized.
  • Step 9 Remove immediately from the sheet pans and place candy on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight jar.

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2 thoughts on “Hawaiian Coconut Candy”

  • I’ve never seen anything like this before, Chrissy, but it sounds divine! I’m not sure I’d trust myself to shell a coconut, but I suppose there should be a first time for everything!
    Loving the new blog layout, by the way! 🙂

    • Thank you! It was definitely an exercise in patience though in some ways maybe worth it maybe once a year! No less onerous than carving a pumpkin or making a gingerbread house!

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