Toasted Coconut for Recipe Friday

Now that I am eating both dairy and wheat free, I keep thinking of all the desserts I love that have one or both of these ingredients. The other night my husband and I went out to dinner. After we were done eating we talked about whether to get dessert. I said that most, if not all, of the desserts probably had either dairy or wheat so there was no point in even looking at the dessert menu. He joked, “That’s because all the good things to eat have those two ingredients in them.” Thankfully that is not true.

The next day we went to Costco and while looking in the snack aisle for dried fruits to put in my oatmeal in the morning, I found dried young coconut. Rather than being shredded it is chunks of coconut. Knowing that shredded coconut tastes better toasted, I decided to try toasting this coconut. It turned out delicious, just a little sweet, and serves as a simple dessert as far as I’m concerned.

Rather than formatting this like my usual recipes, since this recipe only has one ingredient, I thought I would just include pictures and directions.

I placed the coconut pieces on a homemade aluminum tray. I used our toaster oven and set it to 300°. After a few experiments, I discovered that 15 minutes is the perfect length of time to toast the coconut. Allow to cool before eating.

I think I’m going to try to develop some other dessert recipes that incorporate this toasted coconut, like maybe drizzling it with melted dark chocolate and combining it with toasted almonds or other nuts.

The best thing about this simple dessert treat is that it is good for you! It is low in sugar and fat, and high in fiber. But it won’t feel like you are eating healthy.