Easy Easter Coconut Drops

This Easter, why not try something different and make some Easter Coconut Drops to share with family and friends? I love to make these because they require only a handful of ingredients and are super easy to make. And for a non-baker like me, that’s music to my ears!

A few years back I decided (due to lack of funds) instead of buying all my family and friends chocolate for Easter, I would make my own sweets. Great idea right? Only problem was, I’m not a baker. Like, at all. I’m crap at it. I have always found precise measurements a bore – a fundamental component of baking. Not to mention, it seemed like a lot of work to create something with no nutritional value.

That’s why I love to make these Easter Coconut Drops so much. You get maximum delight for minimum effort, regardless of your baking prowess. The kid loves to help me make them. He finds the way the egg whites go from clear and runny to white and stiff fascinating. Like an edible science experiment. I love how they look and taste fancy but are cheap and easy to make.

Light as air with a chewy center, my Easter Coconut Drops are just delicious with a strong cup of coffee or tea. I make them at Easter time but really, you can make them at any time of the year. These sweet treats are always good. Have a go and let me know what you think.

Makes about 25

1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut

2 egg whites

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbs plain flour

6 glace cherries (cut in quarters)

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 150C (fan-forced).
Beat egg whites in a medium size bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Add around 1/2 the sugar to the egg whites and mix until it’s dissolved. Repeat with the rest of the sugar.
Now, in two batches, stir in your vanilla essence, coconut, and flour. Generally when baking you’re supposed to sift the flour – I never do and mine turn out fine. But if you’re a sifter, knock yourself out. 🙂
You will need two medium size oven trays or 1 big one (I tend to just jam as many as I can onto a big old oven tray). Line your trays with baking paper and drop about 1 heaped teaspoon of mixture onto the trays. Give yourself around 5cm between each coconut drop. Put a cherry quarter on top of each.
Bake for around 35 – 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Let them cool in the trays for a couple of minutes then transfer them to baking racks to finish off.