Coconut Candy Bars with Muscovado Sugar

Coconut Candy Bars

A good sweet treat at the end of a meal is a ‘delish’ to complete any culinary experience. This treat is between a cookie and a candy that melts in your mouth almost like a sugar cookie. The bars are full of fresh toasty coconut, covered with dark muscovado sugar, rich in molasses and laced delicately by the black sesame that makes it exquisite nutty fragrant candy bars. Each scrumptious bite makes you feel deserving and I strongly believe anything in moderation will only lift your spirits (And yes, this includes sugar).

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 cups freshly grated coconut 
• ½ cup muscovado sugar
• ½ cup castor sugar
• 1 cup condensed milk
• 1 cup hot water 
• ½ teaspoon expresso coffee
• 10 tablespoon black sesame seed, toasted lightly and grind into a fine cakey powder (without any water)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

• Prepare a ‘20 x 20 x 4cm’ square baking tin and set it aside.
• Mix the sesame powder with the fresh coconut evenly in a bowl and set aside.
• In another bowl, add the muscovado sugar and pour hot water. Stir the mix until sugar is completely dissolved, then strain it to remove impurities or lumps.
• Heat a heavy wide pan on low medium flame. Pour the muscovado sugar syrup, and the castor sugar into the pan. Let it simmer until the syrup is thick and slightly sticky (avoid stirring).
• Next add coffee, salt, and condensed milk to the syrup. Give the syrup a good mix and simmer for couple more minutes. 
• Followed by the coconut and sesame mix into the simmering syrup. Stir the mix until syrup has covered the coconut evenly. 
• At this point you can add the vanilla and keep stirring until mix is thick, sticks together and comes away from the pan. This may take about 30 to 40 minutes.  
• When the candy mixture is done, spoon it into the baking tin and use a spoon to level and smooth it out. 
• Let the coconut candy to set for 10 to 15 minutes and use a knife to cut it into squares in the pan.  Leave the coconut candy bars, for further cooling and setting.
• Once completely cool, (at this point you will be able to remove the bars but it may be still a bit moist), leave overnight in the fridge.
• Take the candy bars out of the pan the next day and store them in a jar. 

Serving Note: You can have this coconut bars as dessert after a meal, or for tea, crumbled on ice creams and puddings.

Happy cooking !