Whenever you take a minute to toast coconut, something magical happens. Case in point, these Toasted Coconut Biscotti; they’re incredibly extraordinary!
Some of the best biscotti I’ve ever tasted has been the type to highlight one particular ingredient. Just like yesterday’s Sweet Vanilla Biscotti in which vanilla was the star. Today, however, it’s coconut. In fact, it’s toasted coconut, because toasted coconut has a deep, nutty flavour that’s in a category all its own!
Last Christmas, I baked a Toasted Coconut Bundt Cake and my love of toasted coconut was solidified! If you’ve never tried it, I encourage you to do so. You won’t regret it!
THE BEST TYPE OF COCONUT TO USE
When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, with the addition of the sugar, these Toasted Coconut Biscotti will be too sweet to eat!
You’ll want to use a unsweetened medium coconut. The size of the grated coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to cut into it. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier slice and you want your delicious biscotti to look just as amazing as it tastes!
HOW TO TOAST COCONUT
Toasting coconut is easier than frying an egg! I use that comparison, because when my daughter was learning to cook, she was so excited when was able to master the perfect over-easy egg.
When toasting coconut, all you need is a skillet, a whisk, and some patience. Place the coconut into the skillet and turn the heat to medium. Do not for one minute think that you can walk away from the skillet to do something else. And, don’t ever think that you can stop moving the coconut around the pan. It will burn. And, it will burn fast!
Use a stainless steel skillet; not one of those non-stick types. And use a metal whisk or wooden spoon. Continuously – and, I mean continuously! – move the coconut around the skillet. Slowly, but eventually, you’ll notice that the coconut is losing that bright white colour. It will fade into a off-white, until finally, it begins to turn a nice golden, yellowish-brown colour.
Turn off the heat and get the coconut out of the hot skillet. The residual heat will continue to brown the coconut and you don’t want that to happen. Transfer the coconut to a wide, shallow bowl so that it can spread out. This will stop the toasting and you’ll be left with the most delicious coconut ever!
PACKING AND STORING:
These biscotti will last in the freezer for three months. Be sure you have a good container with a tight seal. Whenever I’m freezing cookies, I always double up on the seal action. Before I place the lid on, I always drape a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then I push the lid on. I just feel that the lid fits more tightly. Any little thing I can do to keep the frost out, I’m going to do it!
Like I always say, if you freeze any baked goods, remove only the amount you want when you decide to thaw them. Fetch the container from the freezer and remove only what you need. Put the lid back on and get the container back in the fridge. I like to use containers like this.
To properly thaw baked goods, place them on a plate or a wire cooling rack. Don’t pile them. Spread them out and give them some space. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. They will taste fresh and perfect every single time!
CONCLUSION:
Like I said at the beginning, I’ll be posting 12 biscotti recipes in this series on back-to-back days. If you can’t wait, you can certainly refer back to a series from previous years. Just click on the collection photos below. Cheers!
Toasted Coconut Biscotti
Ingredients
For the Biscotti:
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons coconut extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup toasted coconut
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 2-3 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, coconut extract, and baking powder until well combined and creamy.
- Next, add the eggs and beat them into the batter until well mixed.
- Now, add the flour and beat in until just combined. Stir in the toasted coconut. The dough will be sticky.
- Turn dough out onto prepared baking sheet and form into a log. (Dust your hands with flour; dough is a bit sticky!)
- Form log into a rectangle shape that is roughly 5" wide and 14" long.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire cooling rack so that air can circulate around the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Using the parchment paper, slide the log onto a large cutting board. Slice into 3/4" slices across the width of the log.
- Place slices back onto baking sheet which has been lined with more parchment paper. Slices are cut side down. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Carefully turn the cookies over and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
- Once cooled completely, whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. Drizzle over the biscotti and top with extra toasted coconut if desired.
- Package biscotti for gift-giving or pile into a food-safe container. Leave at room temperature, or freeze until needed for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Patty says
I absolutely loved these!! Already in the cookbook .. thanks for sharing!!