This is my prize-winning Coconut Ice recipe, which made me almost as much of a Show Queen as my precious cow 767. It has been entered in many agricultural shows, and won me incredible trophies. As well as the 22 Blue Ribbons and Prize Certificates, this recipe has netted me (among other things…) a tea-towel set, a glass cheese board, a clock set into the tummy of a plastic mouse, and the greatest one of all – a bottle of non-alcoholic sparking wine with a faux French Champagne label that made us all VERY excited. (None of us could read French and the label was tres` impressive!) It tasted so bad that it refreshed the droughty grass outside my kitchen window.
That’s okay. I always got to eat all of the pieces that didn’t make it into the competitions, and that was the sweetest reward of all. This is a lovely recipe – easy for non-cooks, and with great keeping qualities. Which is a stupid thing to say really, because it never lasts long enough to prove those qualities. Make a batch of this and you’ll see what I mean.
Ingredients:
500g icing sugar (4 cups of confectioners sugar for my USA friends), 250g unsweetened dessicated coconut (2 and 1/2 cups), 1/2 cup condensed milk, one egg white, 60g copha (1/3 cup of vegetable shortening), vanilla essence, pink food colouring.
Method:
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, and then add the coconut and gently mix through to combine.
Melt your copha and allow to cool slightly.
Whisk the egg white just a little, and add the egg and condensed milk to your dry ingredients. Then add your copha and a slug of vanilla essence ( a teaspoon or so should do it).
Mix until well combined into a firm, moist mass. Divide the mixture in half, and colour one batch a cheerful pink with your food colouring.
Press the white mixture into the bottom of a baking paper lined tin. Smooth out with the back of a spoon, and then gently press the pink layer over the top. Smooth and press in well with your spoon and then refrigerate until set (about 2 hours). Remove from tin and cut into bars or small squares. It will only need to be refrigerated if you live in a hot climate. Or you could just eat it all…
Perfect for gifts, or with a cup of tea as a happy-making treat.
Hi, I just made the recipe. Loved it but the pink coloured coconut ice lost it’s colour and is now pale orange. What caused this. I used well known brand colouring
Hi Andrew, I’m sorry – I have NO idea why this happened. I wish I could be more helpful on this one. I asked several trusted baking colleagues and none of them knew either.
Just made this today. We don’t have copha over here so I substituted for organic coconut oil, low heat melted and added in. This was gorgeous, so much so that my wife who “does not like coconut ice, no why am I making that” absolutely loved it!
This might be the best cooking blog post intro I have ever read. It’s short and it still brings the bizarre life story, wow!
This is the same as my recipe. I add a few drops of coconut essence to the pink as well. Makes lovely xmas gift in a fancy jar.
Hello. This sounds cool but my attempts at cooking never come out right. How much beating does the egg white need? Just til it’s slightly frothy?
Thanks x
Yep, that sounds perfect!
This is the same recipe that my Mum used to make back in the ’60s. And yours looks the exact same in the photos. It’s the egg white that makes the difference I’m sure. She used to make it for fetes and gifts and everyone commented on how good it was. Whenever I bought coconut ice at stalls it was total disappointment as it never tasted creamy smooth like this recipe does. Thanks Nicole for posting.
Stunning. Have looked for a good recipe for years and have now hit the jackpot. Tx u for giving the recipe.
Glad you like it! It’s a big favourite in our house 🙂
Thank you for sharing your coconut ice recipe, going to try it very soon!
You are right! This is the best Coconut Ice I have ever tasted.Made about 100 pieces for my nieces engagement party and they were the first to disappear.Then again for my grand niece birthday and guests were asking for more! Love it, love it, love it. Making another batch tonight for my son’s birthday tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing, many blessings, love n light coming your way!😌😌😊
Great recipe. My daughter just won 2nd prize at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney for Coconut Ice with this. And she took the leftovers to her Girl Guides group who also enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing this.
Congratulations to your daughter on her win, James! That’s very exciting news and I’m glad to see this recipe live on for the Show circuit. May she celebrate many more victories!!!
Love your recipe.
Ok so I am sitting here wondering why I entered into the show under the catagory coconut ice as I do not even have a recipe for it. after much searching I landed here and with all the amazing awards this recipe has won it has to be the one!
So off to get the ingredients and have a practice run before I have to make it next weekend.
Oh I just thought, hope you are not entering the same show as you would win hands down with all of your practice…
You don’t specify the size of the tin you used, could you please let me know?
Kind Regards,
Ainy
Nicole, these sound and look delicious! I shall have to give them a try. Thank you! I must warn you however, I am not good at following a recipe, I must make them my own with variations.
Thanks for choosing to follow one of my blogs. I hope you continue to enjoy the posts. Léa
Thankyou looking for pink foods for this months Breast Cancer Pink Day.
I made this today and they turned out wonderfully.
Here’s my end result: http://i.imgur.com/gDog99G.jpg
Hi,
I am just about to make your recipe for my mum for christmas, but I am a bit confused
the recipe says 60 grams of copha or 1/3 cup.
but 60 grams is 1/4 cup .
can you please clarify whether it is 1/4 or 1/3 cup
Kind Regards
Cathy
it sounds SO delicious…I am just wondering if you know how it would work without egg white, or is there a substitute? My naturopath friend told me to not ever eat raw eggwhite…? Thank You x
even though the egg white goes in raw, sugar actually cooks the egg white so you shouldn’t have any issues
Wouldn’t pasteurized egg substitute be OK?
I cant wait to try this, I think I will make it as part of my gifts for family over Christmas. Excellent tutorial 🙂
How long do you think this would keep? It looks like a great emergency work treat. Its very good of you to share rather than hoard your secrets!
It freezes really well, Jackie, and I’ve kept it for about a month in the fridge (by hiding it or it would NEVER have lasted that long!) I make huge batches before Christmas, freeze them, then bring them back to room temperature and wrap them for gifts. There would be a riot if I forgot to make it one year 😀
Hi there. How long have you kept these for before? Will they happily do a couple of weeks? Even with the raw egg in it? How hot is too hot to have them at room temp? Any thoughts would be a great help thx!
can you freeze it to use at a later date?
Yes you can! 😀
Came across your blog whilst looking for a coconut ice recipe & have lost the last 3 hours reading through your blog posts, quotes & recipes. I will definitely make a return visit. 🙂 !
Nicole what is vegetable shortening. Frieda
Hi Nicole, I want to make Coconut Ice, what is Copha? Frieda
Hi Nicole, what is Copha? Thanks Frieda
Thanks so much for the recipe! I made a batch for a bake sale and everyone loved it:)
love this rendition of an old classic…you are the best!
Thanks, Lola! 😀 xx
That looks and sounds delicious! (Loved reading about your various prizes :))
Thank you! xoxo
I was given the link to this recipe by a work mate and I cant wait to try it thanks for putting this up my kids will love it
The big kids will love it too. Thanks for dropping by xx
lol you would be amazed at how easily i mess things up. lol. mind you if it tastes good i dont care. lol
Even messed up it will be delicious!
i was wondering if it would be ok that i post this on my facebook page? midknytemunchies. i will leave a link for the page and everything. maybe minus the pics as i try not to post pics that way if it does not turn out as good as yours people will not be disappointed
I’m happy for you to repost as long as you give links and acknowledgement. 😀
I actually like pics so that I have a rough guide as to what it might look like. This one’s so easy – it is hard to stuff up if you follow the directions!
I will definitely try these. I am wondering if using coconut oil which is solid at room temp would add more of a coconut taste instead of vegetable shortening. Have you tried it that way?
Yes I have, but because I live in Australia which has a sub-tropical climate (where coconut oil is liquid or very soft at room temperature for at least half the year) it was hugely unsuccessful. Even under refrigeration it was not as firm as I would have liked. The vegetable shortening does not become liquid even on our hottest days, has a very mild taste, and is used in small quantities, so it works better down here. I find these to be very ‘coconutty’ anyway. But by all means try the coconut oil if your climate suits it! 😀 Let me know how you go…
That looks awesome! Im gonna have to make some for valentines day!
Or you could do a test batch first 🙂
I wil try this but with organic shredded coconut and coconut oil instead of veg oil to get a better flavor, plus organic sugar which I will grind into powder to avoid corn starch . Let u know how it turns out
Omg ! I’m eating these right now and they are TO DIE FOR ! Yurmy yurmy !!!!! Theyre supposed to be for a morning tea party tomorrow but i dont think they’ll make it through the night 😉 iihihihihi
I so know how easily that can happen 😀 xx
Wow! Such perfect looking coconut ice and the first one I clicked on in my search. Can’t wait to try it. They don’t know about coconut ice here in Canada unfortunately but I have great memories from fetes in Zimbabwe.
I hope you enjoy it Denise – it’s a delicious treat! Bless xx
Thank you for adding the notes for those of us in the United States; or I would be totally lost!!! :D. This sounds yummy and looks easy to make with your directions!!
This is to die for! I need to veganize it… ♥
Yes! If you do, can you let us know? Much love to you xoxo
It looks very tasty , yet simple to make. But is there any other way of making it without adding egg. Cz I am vegetatrian , for the time being (Wil change back to non-veg ofcourse). So can you suggest anything else vegiterian instead of egg plz??
You could try increasing the copha (vegetable shortening) by another tablespoon 🙂
Thank you, will try it in a couple of days. Will surely, let you know how it tasted. I have had a lot of this from confectioneries from never tried it at Home. Thanks 4 the recipe n the tip. 😉
Ooooh, Nicole! These look yummy, yummy.
I am a sucker for pink food!
Me too. I wonder if I can bring some over for you. I wonder whether I can keep it that long in my suitcase without eating it…
LOL. I promise I’ll try! 😀 xoxo
Wow! How smooth is that pink layer??!!
And a plastic mouse clock? Well you ARE the luckiest cook ever! Tres fantastique 😉
It was tres fantastic! Until the alarm function got stuck and the only way we could shut it off was to drown the poor thing in a big bucket of water… LOL Class all the way here. 😛
Exquisite! What an impressive array of awards, too. I will have to try this one, thank you for the recipe!
It would go very well with any cup of tea you might think of, Lorna! Enjoy xoxo
That is one special, out-of-sight recipe, Nicole! It’s lovely to look at, too!
Hey Annie, thanks for stopping by! It’s a pretty spesh recipe, and it always reminds me of my Nana. 😀 xx
Seriously dying here …
I saved you some… cos I lub yew! xoxo
Just like my mother used to make 🙂
We used to make industrial quantities of this with my mum for the sweets stalls at school fetes, Suzie. I always ate my own body weight during the packaging process. *smiles* xoxo
The same- church and schools fetes, now days not on my recipes as it would really upset my alkaline bone building regime:( xxoo
looks so very pretty and perfect for high tea or low tea, or no tea at all
Yep, you understand the eating process perfectly! ♥ xx
This brings back memories to me of school fetes.
Thanks for sharing ……
(and for the recipe)
I do hope you make some, Elizabeth. It’s seriously good! xx
Thank you Nicole – with Christmas coming up and my normal ‘Christmas Sweet’ baskets already in the planning this is well timed and I look forward to making use of this recipe. I normally use green food colouring to make it more Christmasy.
Oh, I forgot to mention the possibility of green topping. I usually bung a few drops of peppermint essence in the top layer when I do that. Very Christmasy indeed! {{{HUGS}}}
Thank you for sharing this yummy lunch box treat. Have a beautiful day Nx
Thanks Nina. You too ♥ xx