Coconut Candy

Today we are going to talk about candy. Specifically one kind of candy that is essential to be able to celebrate Christmas here at Chez Knit.

Coconut Candy.

Or as I like to think of it, Christmas Candy Crack.

This stuff is seriously good.

Seriously. You must go out now and buy the ingredients and make them. Because if you don’t then you are just going to have a Coconut Candy sized hole in your life.

Unless you don’t like coconut that is.

Just remember, at the BOTTOM of the post there is a link for the recipe.

These are the basic ingredients. I did forget to put the heavy cream in the picture but that is necessary too.

Three of my favorite ingredients in the entire world.

You are going to put the pecans into the food processor and pulse them until they are ground fairly fine. Don’t grind them to dust, just pretty small pieces.

Then go and find yourself a big bowl. A really big bowl.

About this big. Don’t worry, I washed it out after I put it on my head.

Add the pecans, the coconut and the powdered sugar to the bowl. Then stick your clean, dry hands in there and mix it all around very thoroughly. Break up any clumps of coconut. Take your Christmas aggression out on the mixture. When you are done….

It will look like this. Just set the bowl aside for a bit and let the ingredients get to know each other. It seems rather polygamous, there being three ingredients in there, but pretty soon you are going to add other things.

Now get out a heavy bottom sauce pan.

Melt the butter. Remember to watch because browned butter is bad butter in this instance.

Turn the stove down to medium low and then add the sweetened condensed milk, the vanilla and the salt.

It is at this time that your whisk becomes your good friend. If you don’t have a whisk then you need to get one before you start the recipe.

  You need to whisk the butter mixture until it is all incorporated. Be gentle but firm. It isn’t going to look like it wants to incorporate. It will be resistant, wanting to be individual elements and not a consistent whole. Be persistent because all of a sudden it will look like this….

When it gets to this point take it off the heat and add it directly to the coconut mixture.

Looks sort of disgusting doesn’t it. Be not deceived. Wash your hands and then stick them right in there and mix everything all together very thoroughly. This stuff will be VERY sticky but keep working it until everything is all mixed and wet.

Resist the urge to eat the coconut off your fingers. RESIST! Clean everything off your fingers and wash your digits.

If you have one of these, this one holds about a tablespoon, now is the time to get it out. You don’t have to use it but it just makes life easier.

And I am all about easy.

You also want to have a small cup of water hanging around. That way, as you are rolling out the coconut balls (tee hee) you can occasionally dip your hands in the water to keep them from becoming too coated with coconut ball mixture.

At any rate you want to scoop out the coconut mixture one tablespoon at a time and roll it into coconut balls (tee hee) and put them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Oh Yum

You also might want to have a cup of coffee around…….

Just to cut the sweetness of the coconut candy in case you have to taste test.

I always like to be prepared.

Once you have all the coconut balls (tee hee) rolled out then put them someplace to cool for about an hour, but not in the frig.

Then you want to put your heavy cream into a heavy bottom pan and gently heat it. When it is warm but not hot add your chocolate chips and whisk it all around until the chips melt and everything is all glossy and lovely. I didn’t take a picture of this step because….

1. I forgot that I had changed the recipe years ago and started out melting the chocolate chips over simmering water.
2. Then I figured that I would just add the cream to the chocolate chips, even though I KNEW that it wasn’t going to work that way. I just figured that I could muscle it to do what I wanted.
3. I was wrong
4. REMEMBER Chips into cream NOT cream into chips.

This is what happens when you do not follow your own directions. Do as I SAY and not as I DO.

So then I did it the correct way. Heat the cream, melt the chocolate in the cream. Whisk.

When your ganache is all finished then you put the coconut candy on the candy fork, pour some ganache over the candy using a spoon, tape the candy fork on the edge of the pan to shake off the excess and put the candy back on the sheet pan.

All that is what I am doing here. And it is a messy process just so that you know.

Then you cool the candy down again. And when it is cooled then you can stick all of it in the freezer, hiding it from your children and husband so that it lasts more than 2 minutes.

Come to Momma!

 

Coconut Candy