TRADITIONAL JAMAICAN COCONUT DROPS RECIPE

Ingredients:
I cup chopped ginger
2 cups of brown sugar
2 medium-sized dried coconuts (available in Caribbean or Latino food stores) chopped to yield 3 cups of freshly chopped coconuts
3 cups of water
We are keeping the sugar to a minimum by suggesting only two cups of brown sugar. Both ginger and coconuts are natural remedies for stomach ailments. In addition ginger is said to be a remarkable remedy for colds and a very effective anti-inflammatory. Therefore coconut drops which is made from coconuts and ginger is as healthful as candy gets.
Recipe by ©eatjamaican.com

Process
1) Break open the coconuts. Taste to ensure they coconuts are fresh. Remove the coconut “meat” from the shell with a knife. This is dangerous as you run the risk of cutting yourself. Therefore you should proceed cautiously until you get the hang of it. Cut the coconut “meat” into pieces approximately two inches in diameter or smaller. Cut these into very small pieces of approximately 1/8 of an inch by cutting the coconut into 1/8 vertical strips that remain intact at the bottom of the larger piece of coconut, then cut across in 1/8's of an inch down to get very small pieces that are approximately 1/8 inch square front to back. (If cutting the coconut by hand is too much for you an alternative is to chop it up in a blender using the chop setting. That will work fine but it wont be the traditional way.)

2) Chop a quarter of a pound of pealed fresh ginger that has been cut into small pieces in a blender using the chop setting. Use only enough water to make the blender operate smoothly.

3) In a large uncovered cooking pot mix one cup of this chopped ginger and water, 2 cups of brown sugar, 3 cups of firmly packed coconut and 3 cups of water. Bring to a rapid boil and reduce the flame to medium to high. Allow the mixture to cook until it thickens. Reduce the flame to low to medium. Use a large spoon to continuously turn the mixture to prevent it from burning or sticking to the cooking pot. The idea is to cook the mixture until the sugar begins to caramelize. When sugar begins to form at the bottom of the cooking pot and it is very difficult to turn the mixture with the spoon, reduce the flame to the lowest setting. Use a tablespoon to spoon the mixture and drop it onto the smooth side of aluminum foil or into a baking pan. Allow to cool.