Coconut drops are pure nostalgia — chunks of dry coconut boiled with ginger and brown sugar until the syrup thickens into a sticky candy, then spooned into clusters to set. Just a few ingredients, but the ginger-and-coconut combination is unmistakably Jamaican.

Ingredients

  • 1 dry coconut, chopped into small pieces
  • 1½ cups brown sugar (or "wet"/raw sugar)
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Crack the coconut, remove the flesh, and chop it into small bite-size pieces (leave the brown skin on for traditional drops).
  2. Add the coconut to a pot with the water, chopped ginger, brown sugar and salt.
  3. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the liquid reduces to a thick, dark, sticky syrup that coats the coconut (about 25–30 minutes).
  4. Working quickly, spoon clusters onto a greased tray, parchment, or banana leaf.
  5. Let them cool and set firm before lifting off. Store in an airtight container.

🥥 Watch the syrup

The drops set as the syrup cools, so cook until it's genuinely thick and sticky (it'll coat the spoon). Too soon and they won't hold; too long and they turn hard.