Coconut Drops (Jamaican Style)

Calling all coconut lovers!! You must try these coconut drops made from fresh coconut that is chopped into small pieces then boiled with water, sugar, ginger and flavouring to make syrup which is simmered until the point of absorption then the coconut is left to set and eaten.

This recipe is the perfect one pan Jamaican snack that you need in your life.

It's super easy to make and you only need a helpful of ingredients to make this sweet treat.

Like most cultures there is a mixture of sweet and savoury dishes and Jamaica is not different.

Jamaica has some pretty iconic dishes like Oats Porridge , Bammy (cassava flatbread), Chicken Soup just to name a few.

When it comes to sweet treats and desserts Jamaica certainly holds its own. There are so many sweet treats out there (I will list a few below) that truly are delicious and need more recognition and this recipe is one of them.

Coconut drops also known as drops is a sweet snack made from fresh coconut that is cut into small pieces, sugar (typically brown sugar is used) fresh ginger and water.

The coconut is boiled in water along with the brown sugar and ginger. Any additional add ins such as salt, cinnamon leaves and almond essence are added to enhance the taste.

The water and sugar is made into a thick-ish syrup until it recedes and adheres to the coconut, creating a sticky consistency.

Once the sticky consistency is ready the coconut mixture is placed to set in small heaps on a banana leaf and left to cool before eating.

Ingredients you will need

Recipe revamp

My version of coconut drops is very similar to the traditional method with a few exceptions to the rule. Rather than brown sugar I used coconut sugar which has a low GI.

Coconut sugar is perfect because it yields a lovely butterscotch taste and is naturally brown so there isn't much of a compromise.

It's also not extremely sweet so you can easily use 2 cups without feeling like it's a complete sugar overload.

Of course, all sugars should be consumed in moderation but when I make this recipe I like to use healthier options where possible. If you are someone who freaks out about the use of sugar, low GI or not.

Then this recipe isn't for you, it's not a recipe that can be greatly modified i.e you can't completely omit the use of ANY sugar.

To put it bluntly either you make this recipe or not, it's that simple!

I like to use minced fresh ginger (but not too much, just my preference!) and almond essence, a small amount of ground cinnamon because it's virtually impossible to find leaves in the UK and pink salt to balance out the flavours.

How to make drops

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper/if using banana leaves have them ready and set aside.
• Pour the water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Add the chopped coconut, coconut sugar along with the ginger and stir.
• Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the syrup is sticky and almost gone. This can take about an hour or just over that time so keep that in mind.

• Around 50 minutes into simmering add your almond essence, cinnamon and pink salt. Add some ground ginger if you like a strong taste in ginger.
• Continue to simmer the syrup until it recedes and sticks to the coconut pieces and there's very little syrup left, it should be very sticky (this is absolutely crucial to make the drops set, you were warned!!)

• Use a spoon (you may need two) to scoop out the coconut and place onto the parchment paper leaving a few inches gap between dropping the next one. It sets very fast so act quickly.
• Leave the drops to set then eat when you are ready.

Can you use another sugar apart from coconut sugar?

To replicate the colour and taste it's best to use coconut sugar. If you aren't concerned with the GI (the quickness of the sugar releasing into the bloodstream) then brown sugar (the darkest you can find) is a better choice.

Zero calorie/low carb sweetener such as erythritol, stevia etc... aren't suited for this recipe because it simply doesn't do the recipe any justice in taste nor will it look tradition in appearance.

My drops won't stick together? Help!

If for some reason your drops don't stick together it might be because you have a lot of excess syrup left or it's not thick enough. Remember it should be thick and sticky, with a small amount of liquid (if any at all)

Add some more sugar  (1-2 tbsp) if there's still a lot of liquid left. Continue to stir the mixture until it is very very sticky and re-set the drops on parchment paper (it should set with ease the second time)

You can remedy this by placing your drops in the freezer which will help it to set.

Can you use a syrup sweetener instead?

I personally only use granulated sugar to make drops so it's not something I can confidently recommend. If you do this you will need to re-calculate the ratio of liquid sweetener to water to successfully achieve your syrup consistency.

Can I add some additional nuts/seeds to the recipe?

Although this would not be per tradition, if you want to add a small handful of nuts/seeds of your choice that's fine. Just don't go overboard or you will end up with too much hard ingredients to syrup (sugar/water) and it may ruin the recipe.

Can you freeze the drops?

Yes, make sure you have wrapped the drops and sandwiched them in between parchment paper so they don't stick together.

Notes and tips

• This recipe makes about 8 drops depending on the size of your coconut chunks
• Store any left over drops away from heat in an air tight container and eat within a few days of making them.
• Be sure to use a study non stick saucepan.
• If you don't have fresh ginger then just use the equivalent in ground form.
• You can add some of this Ginger Syrup Recipe if you want.
• Use a large pot i.e dutch pot/oven to make this recipe.
• Don't cook the coconut on high heat, use medium because you want the coconut to cook thoroughly (don't rush the process).
• If you are using fresh coconut and don't know how to open a fresh coconut then check out my How to make Fresh Coconut Milk where there are pictures of the process.
• Make sure your coconut is cut into small pieces, you don't want them too chunky.
• DON'T leave the coconut mixture to cool down in the saucepan. As soon as it's ready proceed to spoon and set it.
• Use a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If you have access to fresh banana leaves then use as per tradition.
• For best results, use a dark sugar like coconut sugar, light sugar will yield very light looking drops.

Check out these delicious Caribbean sweet treats 

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Coconut Drops (Jamaican Style)

These drops make the perfect Caribbean style sweet coconut treat for kids and grown ups alike.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: Jamaican

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 fresh coconuts chopped into small pieces (total of 4 ½ cups), see notes
• ▢ 2 cups coconut sugar heaping
• ▢ 2 tablespoon ginger minced
• ▢ 3 cups water
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon almond essence
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 teaspoon ground ginger optional
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon pink salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Line a baking tray with parchment paper /if using banana leaves have them ready and set aside.
• Pour the water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.Add the chopped coconut, coconut sugar along with the ginger and stir.
• Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the syrup is sticky and almost gone. This can take about an hour or just over that time so keep that in mind.
• Around 50 minutes into simmering add your almond essence, cinnamon and pink salt. Add some ground ginger if you like a strong taste in ginger.
• Continue to simmer the syrup until it recedes and sticks to the coconut pieces and there's very little syrup left, it should be very very sticky (this is absolutely crucial to make the drops set, you were warned!!)
• Use a spoon (you may need two) to scoop out the coconut and place onto the parchment paper leaving a few inches gap between dropping the next one. It sets very fast so act quickly.
• Leave the drops to set then eat when you are ready.

Notes

• This recipe makes about 8 drops depending on the size of your coconut chunks
• Store any left over drops away from heat in an air tight container and eat within a few days of making them.
• Be sure to use a study non stick saucepan.
• If you don't have fresh ginger then just use the equivalent in ground form.
• You can add some of this Ginger Syrup Recipe if you want.
• Use a large pot i.e dutch pot/oven to make this recipe.
• Don't cook the coconut on high heat, use medium because you want the coconut to cook thoroughly (don't rush the process).
• If you are using fresh coconut and don't know how to open a fresh coconut then check out my How to make Fresh Coconut Milk where there are pictures of the process.
• Make sure your coconut is cut into small pieces, you don't want them too chunky.
• DON'T leave the coconut mixture to cool down in the saucepan. As soon as it's ready proceed to spoon and set it.
• Use a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If you have access to fresh banana leaves then use as per tradition.
• For best results, use a dark sugar like coconut sugar, light sugar will yield very light looking drops.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

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