Coconut Ice – sweet little squares of sugar and coconut. Definitely not an everyday treat but something that was always on the table at Christmas time. Coconut Ice is traditionally served as a pink and white treat, with half of the mixture coloured with pink food colouring.
I have mixed it up a little this year and experimented with some alternatives and I have to say that Coffee Coconut Ice and Bailey’s Coconut Ice well surpass the original recipe, although there is always a place at my table for anything pink.
My Thought Process – Weird!
Firstly I made the traditional pink and white Coconut Ice. Then while I was eating it, I realised I was basically eating a latte but without the coffee and with a bit of coconut mixed in for good measure. I know, I don’t know where these thoughts come from – I really don’t. So I decided to try to make a Coffee Coconut Ice. It turned out beautifully. It was like that little coffee hit when you don’t have time to line up at the coffee truck. Perfect! And it was even better than the original. In fact, I have to say, I loved it.
Then while I was eating the Coffee Coconut Ice, I realised that I could use the same technique to add all sorts of flavours simply by swapping out the coffee for other liquid flavours. Then it hit me – ALCOHOL! Why not?
The first alcohol that came to mind was Baileys – I mean, Baileys in anything is perfect. Right? So then I got to work on my Baileys Coconut Ice. O.M.G. Amazing!
Simply Simple
Coconut Ice is really simple to make. So simple, it makes a great recipe for the kids to make – although I’d stick to the Original Coconut Ice with the kids. You really don’t want them knowing where you hide (er, keep) the alcohol.
Simply melt the Copha, add it to the other ingredients, mix and pat it out into a tray. Place in the fridge and hey presto, Coconut Ice. Well, there’s a couple of extra steps, but they’re just as simple.
Why not try all 3 recipes and let me know which one you prefer in the comments below.
- Traditional Coconut Ice
- Coffee Coconut Ice
- Baileys Coconut Ice
Traditional Coconut Ice
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- microwave or small saucepan to melt the Copha
- 20cm square cake tin or slice tin
- Baking paper
Ingredients
- 4 cups icing sugar I used Icing Sugar Mixture
- 3 cups desiccated coconut Don't use shredded coconut
- 1 egg white
- 60 g Copha or vegetable shortening Melted
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- a few drops of pink food colouring Use pink colouring, rather than red – it will give a much more even colour and a much better result
Instructions
- Line the cake tin or slice tin with baking paper. Tip: To keep the baking paper in place, brush the tin with a little water or vegetable oil before you line it with baking paper. The paper will stick to the tin and make patting the mixture into the tin much easier.
- Mix all ingredients, EXCEPT the food colouring, until well combined and you can no longer see any dry icing sugar
- Divide mixture into 2 equal amounts
- Pat 1 half of the mixture evenly into the base of the lined tin. I used the base of a glass to pat the mixture down and brushed it with a little coconut oil to stop the glass from sticking to the mixture. You could also use any mild tasting vegetable oil or a little melted Copha or vegetable shortening.
- In the 2nd half of the mixture, add a few drops of the pink food colouring (I added a little too much, so add it a few drops at a time so you can control the end colour). Mix until thoroughly combined and you can see no more streaks of colour.
- Pat the 2nd half of the mixture evenly onto the top of the white mixture already in the lined tin.
- Put in the fridge until set – about 2 hours. Remove from the fridge and take out of the tin. Cut into 16 evenly sized pieces and enjoy. You could even get a bit fancy and use a small cookie cutter to cut the Coconut Ice into pretty shapes. Hubby is enjoying the little scraps from around the hearts.
Coffee Coconut Ice
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- microwave or small saucepan to melt the Copha
- 20cm square cake tin or slice tin
- Baking paper
Ingredients
- 4 cups icing sugar I used Icing Sugar Mixture
- 3 cups desiccated coconut Don't use shredded coconut
- 1 egg white
- 60 g Copha or vegetable shortening Melted
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Extra
- ½ cup icing sugar
- ⅓ cup desiccated coconut
- 2 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water
Instructions
- Line the cake tin or slice tin with baking paper. Tip: To keep the baking paper in place, brush the tin with a little water or vegetable oil before you line it with baking paper. The paper will stick to the tin and make patting the mixture into the tin much easier.
- Mix all ingredients, EXCEPT the extra ingredients, until well combined and you can no longer see any dry icing sugar
- Divide mixture into 2 equal amounts
- Pat 1 half of the mixture evenly into the base of the lined tin. I used the base of a glass to pat the mixture down and brushed it with a little coconut oil to stop the glass from sticking to the mixture. You could also use any mild tasting vegetable oil or a little melted Copha or vegetable shortening.
- In the 2nd half of the mixture, add 2 tbsp of the coffee mixture, the extra icing sugar and the extra coconut. Mix until thoroughly combined and you can see no more streaks of colour.
- Pat the 2nd half of the mixture evenly onto the top of the white mixture already in the lined tin.
- Put in the fridge until set – about 2 hours. Remove from the fridge and take out of the tin. Cut into 16 evenly sized pieces and enjoy. You could even get a bit fancy and use a small cookie cutter to cut the Coconut Ice into pretty shapes.
Baileys Coconut Ice
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- microwave or small saucepan to melt the Copha
- 20cm square cake tin or slice tin
- Baking paper
Ingredients
- 4 cups icing sugar I used Icing Sugar Mixture
- 3 cups desiccated coconut Don't use shredded coconut
- 1 egg white
- 60 g Copha or vegetable shortening Melted
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Extra
- 1 cup icing sugar
- ¾ cup desiccated coconut
- 3 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
- A few drops of caramel food colouring
Instructions
- Line the cake tin or slice tin with baking paper. Tip: To keep the baking paper in place, brush the tin with a little water or vegetable oil before you line it with baking paper. The paper will stick to the tin and make patting the mixture into the tin much easier.
- Mix all ingredients, EXCEPT the extra ingredients, until well combined and you can no longer see any dry icing sugar
- Divide mixture into 2 equal amounts
- Pat 1 half of the mixture evenly into the base of the lined tin. I used the base of a glass to pat the mixture down and brushed it with a little coconut oil to stop the glass from sticking to the mixture. You could also use any mild tasting vegetable oil or a little melted Copha or vegetable shortening.
- In the 2nd half of the mixture, add the Baileys Irish Cream, the extra icing sugar, and the extra coconut. Add the food colouring, a few drops at a time until the desired colour is reached. Mix until thoroughly combined and you can see no more streaks of colour.
- Pat the 2nd half of the mixture evenly onto the top of the white mixture already in the lined tin
- Put in the fridge until set – about 2 hours. Remove from the fridge and take out of the tin. Cut into 16 evenly sized pieces and enjoy. You could even get a bit fancy and use a small cookie cutter to cut the Coconut Ice into pretty shapes.
If you liked these recipes, you might also like some of my other Christmas recipes.
Let me know in the comments below.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I may earn a commission. Please keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and because I genuinely use and/or like them, and not because of any commission I may receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Super yummy treat!
Easy to follow recipe. Please continue to share your talents
Love your blog
Awww! Thank you April. I’m glad you liked it.