Toasted Coconut: A Crunchy And Delicious Ingredient For Your Holiday Desserts

Enhance the texture and flavor of your holiday desserts with this homemade toasted coconut.

Desserts are an important part of every celebration and since we are in the holiday season, its demand has increased. Be it simple cookies or multi-layered cakes, all of us have a special place in our hearts for these sweet treats. No dinner is complete without a bite of dessert. When it comes to festive dishes, garnishing plays a crucial role in giving them a presentable look.

Particularly for desserts like cakes, cupcakes, puddings and pies, we cannot compromise with the decoration. The frosting or toppings not only makes them look attractive but also enhances their taste. There are many ingredients available for garnishing, but toasted coconut stands out from all others. Easy to prepare, it adds a beautiful color, crispy texture and delicious flavor to our desserts.

Toasted coconut is a fabulous addition to pastries, cakes, parfaits, cupcakes, pies, banana bread, truffles, almond bars, muffins and cookies. Apart from desserts it can also be sprinkled in a yogurt bowl, ice cream, oatmeal and fruit salad.

Here is a simple recipe to make toasted coconut at home:

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 11 minutes

Ingredients

• Coconut (shredded, shaved or flaked)

Method

Stove Top Method

• Place coconut in a large skillet.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the flakes are mostly golden brown.
• When coconut is toasted, remove it to a bowl and let it cool.

Oven Method

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Spread coconut flakes on a baking sheet in a very thin layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
• When coconut is toasted to your liking, remove it to a bowl and allow it to cool.

Microwave Method

• Spread about ½ cup of shredded coconut on a microwave-safe plate.
• Microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring each time.
• Continue the process until the coconut reaches the desired level of toastiness as per your liking.

Why Toast Your Coconut

Raw coconut can also be used in desserts, but they have a chewy texture that is not liked by everyone. Toasting coconut adds depth to this ingredient and brings out an irresistible nutty flavor. It is a lot like toasted nuts as compared to the raw ones. Toasted coconut enhances flavor and texture to whichever dish you are adding it to.

Tips To Make Toasted Coconut

• While toasting, keep a close watch on it as coconut toasts very quickly. Within a few seconds you will have burnt coconut instead of toasted ones.
• Make sure to use a large pan for toasting. The coconut should easily fit in a thin layer without much crowd. This helps in toasting evenly and crisp up every bit of it. You can also do it in batches if you are using a small pan.

Sweetened And Unsweetened Coconut

Both sweetened and unsweetened coconut can be toasted. However, remember sweetened coconut will toast faster than the other one due to the added sugar. If you want to add a hint of sweetness to your unsweetened toasted coconut all you need to do is place it into a zip-lock bag with some powdered sugar (quantity as desired) and give the bag a good shake and your sweetened coconut is ready to use.

How To Store Toasted Coconut

Though it can be prepared within 10 minutes, you can also toast coconut in large amounts and store it for future use. Toasted coconut can be stored in an airtight jar for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator and you can also freeze for 6 months.

Here is an easy recipe to make toasted coconut cookies:

Ingredients

• 5 1/3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Method

• Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well.
• Grease a tablespoon and using it measure out balls of the coconut mixture.
• Roll the mixture into balls with lightly oiled hands. Then arrange onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let it cool completely and enjoy.