Jamaican Coconut Drops

The story

Jamaican Coconut Drops is a Jamaican dessert with a clear sense of place. Coconut drops are a straightforward Jamaican confection built from fresh coconut, dark sugar and ginger, commonly sold in shops, markets and roadside settings. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 450 g fresh coconutcut into small irregular pieces
• 300 g dark brown sugar
• 25 g fresh gingerfinely grated
• 220 ml water
• 0.25 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch fine salt

Method

1. Cut the fresh coconut into small uneven

   Cut the fresh coconut into small uneven dice rather than grating it; the chunky chew is a defining feature of Jamaican coconut drops.

   Tip: Use the cool-plate test near the end because syrup sets more firmly after cooling than it appears in the pan. Avoid: Grated coconut loses the chunky texture, undercooked syrup leaves sticky puddles and overcooked syrup becomes brittle.

2. Put sugar, water, ginger, allspice and salt

   Put sugar, water, ginger, allspice and salt in a wide saucepan and simmer 5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup begins to thicken.

   Look for: the sugar is dissolved and the syrup begins to thicken

3. Add coconut and cook 12–15 minutes, stirring

   Add coconut and cook 12–15 minutes, stirring frequently as the syrup reduces. The mixture will become glossy and increasingly sticky.

4. Stir in vanilla

   Stir in vanilla. Continue cooking until a spoonful dropped onto a cool plate holds in a mound rather than spreading into a puddle.

   Look for: a spoonful dropped onto a cool plate holds in a mound rather than spreading into a puddle

5. Working quickly, drop heaped spoonfuls onto baking

   Working quickly, drop heaped spoonfuls onto baking paper or a lightly greased tray. Do not flatten them into neat cookies; irregular shape is traditional.

6. Leave until completely cool and set before

   Leave until completely cool and set before lifting. Store airtight in a cool place.

   Look for: completely cool and set before lifting

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.