Homemade Sweetened Coconut

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Gentle Fails

I tend to skip recipes that call for store-bought sweetened coconut since it's just not an ingredient I'm partial to. It wasn't until I absentmindedly agreed to a birthday request for coconut cream pie that this pantry gap presented a problem. The comically easy and supremely delicious solution deserves a post, so here we are.

Up until this point, the totality of my experience with coconut cream pie had involved making it once with unsweetened coconut. Most recipes call for the sweetened variety and, while I know better than to swap ingredients willy-nilly, hubris had taken the wheel. The resulting flavor was nothing special and the dry unsweetened coconut made for a distractingly gritty texture. That gentle fail had slipped my mind until, the day before the celebration, I looked at the recipe and was once again presented with the dilemma.

There were two choices: run to the store and become reacquainted with the sapphire blue bag of saccharine shreds or attempt to improvise. Creativity hadn't served me the last time around—true—but we are foolish creatures. Fortunately, homemade sweetened coconut turned out to be both simple and superb. With three ingredients and five minutes of effort (plus some passive air drying), I had the pure amplification of coconut and the pie's flavor was outstanding.

Now that sweetened coconut is in my life, the lingering question is what to make with it. Coconut Biscotti from Mozza, Butter Mochi from Pastry Love, and coconut cake from Flour have all joined the to-do list. But it was a 2011 recipe for French sables (v1.0 pictured above) that ultimately grabbed my attention. A post for those cookies is in the works.

In terms of the coconut cream pie, I adapted the Dahlia Bakery recipe by way of Smitten Kitchen. Main notes included: finely ground Demerara sugar instead of granulated, increased the custard's salt, a bit of rum went into the whipped cream instead of the custard, and I used my All-butter Flaky Pie Dough instead of the coconut crust.

Around the Dinner Table

The Hidden Brain episode, Sitting With Uncertainty, discussed how our response to uncertainty shapes our lives—everything from crisis management to art appreciation is influenced by it. The guest drew an interesting analogy to improv comedy. With improv, one comedian makes an “offer” and then the other comedian accepts the offer and builds. Neither comedian knows what's coming next, so they have to be flexible and open to adapting. Saying "no" to the next offer prevents the scene from moving forward.

The need to adapt in the face of uncertainty applies to countless situations, but I started thinking specifically about how it influences cooking. Unexpected mistakes or missing ingredients demand that you "build". Not having sweetened coconut felt like my pantry made me an offer—accepting it gave me a new technique. Just the other week, I was short on stock for risotto. I rummaged through the freezer, found tomato water, and ended up with a dish that was far more nuanced than the original. As cooks, I think we all have countless examples like this, but I particularly like framing these moments up as an offer and a build—an ongoing dialogue with the process.

Don’t get me wrong, our innate fight or flight response is appropriate and essential in certain scenarios—nobody wants to be eaten by a tiger. But death is not imminent when you're missing sweetened coconut, so adapting is worth a try.

Recipe Tip

Use a Scale

I always recommend measuring by weight, but this is especially true when baking with DIY components. According to King Arthur and Rose Levy Beranbaum's Baking Bible, 1 cup of bagged sweetened coconut weighs 85 grams. If a recipe calls for 2 cups—like the coconut cream pie I made—you need 170 grams. In my experience, one cup of homemade sweetened coconut (measured by volume) is not equivalent.

Ingredients (adapted from Mother Would Know)

• 160 grams (5.6 ounces / 2 cups) unsweetened shredded coconut || 100%
• 34 grams (2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) Demerara or cane sugar || 21.25%
• 115 grams (4 ounces / 1/2 cup) filtered water || 71.9%

Instructions

After drying, I end up with about 231 grams (8 1/8 ounces) of sweetened coconut. My coconut cream pie's custard almost didn't set, so I plan to dry the coconut longer next time, meaning the final weight should be lower. I might experiment with a dehydrator or low oven to expedite the process. I'd love to know if anybody gives that a try.

• Combine 34 grams of sugar and 115 grams of water in a microwave-safe bowl or small pot. Using the microwave or stovetop, heat the mixture until the sugar is dissolved, stirring from time to time.
• Combine the simple syrup with 160 grams unsweetened coconut and stir until absorbed. The process is very quick.
• Lay a dish towel on the counter, then top with paper towels. Spread the coconut out in an even layer and let it air dry. After an hour or so, toss and redistribute to aid in the drying. Dry for 3 to 4 hours, longer if it's humid. My ambient temperature is usually 70-75°F with relatively low humidity.
• I refrigerate the coconut in an airtight container, but you could probably make a big batch and freeze it.

Newsletter

Subscribe at the bottom of this page for the Chic Eats roundup. It includes new and updated recipes along with a grab bag of unique content that was interesting enough to share around the dinner table.