Once upon a time my gran thought she needed Baker’s semi-sweet chocolate, shredded coconut, and golden brown sugar. But then, like so many things in our lives it was forgotten in the back of a cupboard and ignored. Through birthdays and Christmases, they sat undisturbed. Expiry dates and package updates flew by. But these are shelf stable and sealed items, sure they may have acquired a little character, but I’m not going to let them force them into the waste basket. But what the hell am I going to do with three items I never buy myself? Vegan Chocolate Dipped Caramel Coconut Balls anyone?
These were a pretty fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants creation so these are more like intentions than instructions.
Preparation:
- Lightly toast an ancient bag of shredded coconut.
- Melt one or two packages of antiquated brown sugar in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water.
Construction:
Make a light caramel syrup by melting together a couple Tablespoons of vegan Becel and a cup or so of antediluvian brown sugar. Add in a tsp of vanilla and a pinch of salt or baking soda.
Pour this over the shredded coconut, and stir with a big ol’ spoon. Then you’re gonna need to get some gloves on, and carefully mash this mix into balls. Be careful not to burn yourself, but you also can’t wait until things cool entirely. Put the balls on a rack in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up, and then dip them in the warm chocolate. Then it’s back onto the rack and into the freezer. Now you’ve got tasty Vegan Chocolate Dipped Caramel Coconut Balls!
Despite being older than my cousins in middle-school, these are actually pretty fantastic.
Hey – does anyone know what these green slices of dried fruit are? Some sort of citrus melon? Hit me up if you’ve got an idea.
Of course, there were some items hidden in the back of the cupboard that didn’t find a use ;-)