Candied Coconut Clusters are easy and inexpensive to make. Last time I was in the USA I saw 50g bags of these selling for like $10, which is highway robbery.
All you need is a few ingredients, a dehydrator or oven and an airtight container to store them in. The airtight part is crucial because the sugar will take on moisture if exposed to the air and then ruin the crispness of these nuggets of goodness.
You can eat these just as they are, throw them through ice cream or add them to a bar of textured chocolate with some nibs and freeze dried cherries.
Should I use desiccated/shredded or coconut chips/flakes?
You can use either type of dried coconut, but the flakes/chips give a really nice texture and crunch. Using the shredded/desiccated coconut will result in tighter clusters, so they may feel a touch more dense. If you’d like to use desiccated coconut, check out my Spirulina Brittle recipe.
Can I use a different sweetener to coconut sugar or maple?
You can use cane sugar in place of the coconut sugar, but I can’t think of a good replacement for maple. You could always add more coconut sugar, omit the maple but then add about 1 tbsp water to make up for that liquid content.
Do I need to use the dehydrator to make these?
Nope, you can use your oven at no higher than 100c with the fan on so you get good circulation. It’ll probably take about 30-90 mins till they’re crisp. If you want to purchase a dehydrator, this is the one I like the best –Excalibur Dehydrator.
Candied Coconut Clusters
Ingredients
- 200 g coconut flakes/chips – soaked 1 hour and sieved
- 30 g maple syrup
- 100 g coconut sugar
- 6 drops vanilla medicine flower extract
- 30 g coconut flour
Instructions
- Make sure you sieve the coconut very well so there’s no excess water remaining— this will just dilute the flavour.
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
- Transfer to a non-stick dehydrator tray. Don’t spread the mixture out too much, you want it to “cluster up” when it’s done drying.
- Dry at your desired temp for 8-12 hours. Once the sugars have dried and crystallised, flip the clusters onto a mesh tray and finish drying until they are completely dry and crisp.
- Store in an airtight container for several months.
FREE Videos: Start watching and learning today
Are you a visual learner? Yeah, me too. These FREE livestream classes cover a wide range of topics within chocolate and dessert making.
Be the first to get free recipes and classes
Join my mailing list and be the first get free recipes and hear about upcoming classes.
