Coconut Almond Drops

This edition of Six Of One features Six 6-Ingredient Recipes!

This recipe for Coconut Almond Drops is adapted from a recipe I found amidst my grandmother’s recipes, and the original only had two ingredients: coconut and sweetened condensed milk!

Rolled Coconut Almond Drops before being squashed.

These uber-sweet treats are like a macaroon cookie, but with the minimal ingredients – basically just coconut and sugar, they are also like a candy! And what better to stick into and onto a sugary, coconutty candy than some almonds and some chocolate?

Coconut Almond Drops after squashing.

These Coconut Almond Drops certainly bear a strong resemblance to an Almond Joy candy bar. (I always preferred Mounds as a kid, but now on Halloween all the Almond Joys scrounged out of the kids’ candy bags come to ME! I guess I feel like a nut.)

Toasted and warm from the oven!

I think these have a more complex flavor and bite to them than the candy bar. For one the shredded coconut provides a satisfactory chewiness. Second, the almonds in the Drops are roughly chopped and toasted before they go in the batter, and the toasting brings out the loveliest nutty flavor! Then these treats get another toasting in the oven.

Dipping these was a little tricky as my melted Callebaut chocolate was heavy and threatened to pull the candies apart. A quick dip though gave the bottoms a thick coating of chocolate.

After their chocolate dip

Who doesn’t want a big bite of chocolate? No one!!

Click below to see more fantastic 6-Ingredient Recipes!

Coconut Almond Drops

Course: Candy, Dessert

Cuisine: Sweet

Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 32 minutes

Servings: 35 pieces

Author: Nancy Mock

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Ingredients

• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 pound (16 ounces) shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the almonds. Stir the almonds frequently over medium heat for about five minutes until they are lightly toasted and fragrant. Remove them from the heat and set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl combine the sweetened condensed milk, coconut, vanilla and salt. Mix by hand until all the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the cooled almonds.

3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Scoop out tablespoon-sized balls of batter and with buttered hands gently roll them into balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. 

5. Place one of the baking sheets in the oven and bake for about 16 minutes, until the coconut has begun to lightly brown. Remove the baking sheet and place the second sheet into the oven to bake. Allow the first batch to cool completely for about 10 minutes before transferring them off the baking sheet. (If any of the drops separate during baking, carefully squish them back together when you take them from the oven.)

6. Repeat until all of the batter has been used. All the drops to cool before proceeding to the next step.
7. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, and stir until smooth. Line a work space or baking sheet with waxed paper.

8. Gently spoon or drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled drops. 

9. Allow the chocolate on the drops to cool and set before serving. Store in an airtight cooler for up to two days.

10. Makes about 35 Drops.

Recipe Notes

Be creative, curious and festive with food!

*Six Of One is a series that highlights Six things to be hungry for. Six ways to use an ingredient, Six variations on a favorite dish, or Six of something else I haven’t thought of yet!. I am always Hungry Enough To Eat Six and I hope you will be too.