I love the taste of coconut and will sprinkle it, desiccated or otherwise, on a lot of dishes. Having a sweet tooth makes this particular dish even more pleasant to my crazy taste-buds. It’s also VERY EASY to make and doesn’t take long to put together. My kids love helping me out with this. Feel free to experiment with colours too – you don’t have to just stick to pink.

Ingredients

• 50g sweetened condensed milk
• 250g icing sugar , sifted, plus extra for dusting
• 200g desiccated coconut
• pink or any other colour edible food colouring , optional

Method:

1. Using a wooden spoon, mix together the condensed milk and icing sugar in a large bowl. It will get very stiff. Work the coconut into the mix until it’s well combined – use your hands, if you like.
2. Split the mix into two and knead a very small amount of food colouring into one half. Dust a board with icing sugar, then shape each half into a smooth rectangle and place one on top of the other. Roll with a rolling pin, re-shaping with your hands every couple of rolls, until you have a rectangle of two-tone coconut ice about 3cm thick.
3. Transfer to a plate or board and leave uncovered for at least 3 hrs or ideally overnight to set. Cut into squares with a sharp knife and pack into bags or boxes. These will keep for up to a month at least, if stored in an airtight container. Well… so i’ve heard. Doesn’ last more than a day at my place!

These squares also make a fabulous hand-made, home-made gift. Wrap them in coloured cellophane and put a fancy ribbon and bow on top and that sorts your problem out if you’re unable to whip up a box of chocolates.

Enjoy!