This recipe is for a coconut candy that appears to be quite easy. Of course, I have no idea what quantity of coconut you would need, but might it be fun to get a coconut and grate it just to find out? It’s a rather labor intensive process, even if it is pretty easy. I discovered a funny post over at another site detailing how to open the coconut and extract the meat inside. This blogger says her coconut yielded a sandwich baggie full, which might be around 1 1/2-2 cups.
A second thing about this recipe is curious to me. In the last sentence, that last word sure looks like cochineal to me. The cochineal is an insect used to derive red food coloring, but it doesn’t have any taste. So, I am not quite certain what that could be about…possibly the candy from a fresh coconut would be red?
Cocoa-nut Ice Tablet
Put into a lined pan 4 lb loaf sugar, add to this 2 pints water. Boil until it becomes brittle, take it off the fire, let it cool a little. Add a grated cocoa-nut, stir together, pour into a greased tin & set aside to get nearly cold, then mark into whatever squares you like. Note that in using a fresh cocoanut, the milk from it is always used. 2 lbs sugar into a pan with 1 pint water, treat it in the same manner with cochineal.
Gram's Recipe Box 
That is weird. Why would you want RED coconut candy? I have actually grated a coconut before and it ain’t easy, let me tell you. Mine did tend to get a bit red in spots, but that was because of the blood from grated fingers and knuckles. Let’s just say I made the most amazing coconut cake with toasted coconut frosting for my sister’s birthday once…once. I don’t like the processed coconut in packages from the store, but this cake was fantastic. I’m just not sure I’m up to making it again. The hardest part was peeling the coconut. Once it was cracked open and the meat pried off the shell, you still have to get the brown off the white meat.
This candy recipe seems to have a massive amount of sugar for the amount of water and I don’t think adding the coconut milk to the candy syrup would be the best. Would it really get to hard crack stage (brittle)?
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Just read that other blog post about the coconut. Sure wish someone had told me about the baking for a bit to help the meat separate from the husk. Damn, now I might actually have to make that coconut cake again it it’s not such a nightmare now. Is Karen worth it?
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This candy is reminiscent oof some that my Great Grandmother and Great Aunt made when when I was little. It was actually done in 2 layers.. The red layer (and yes, it DID use cochineal – red food coloring from pre-1930 [use 1 ounce of red food coloring gel today]) was spread over the coconut layer and allowed to coolbefore cutting it up. The secret here was to score each layer (cut the lines in the red layer directly over the cuts made in the coconut layer. Most of the time it was done for Christmas (sometimes Easter), and the coconut milk was added to just the red layer. Just mix it with enough water to make up the 2 cups called for before combining it with the 2 pounds of sugar. I have one recipe where the milk was used in place of adding flavoring to the candy.
Thanks for sharing this! It replaces one I lost when my Grandma passed last November!
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I’m so happy you found this. A friend in Australia was making coconut candy recently and I have just realized *this* is what she was making. She kept sending pictures of this red mess, lol. It was one of those “it tasted good but looked horrid” results.
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