Samoan Coconut Candy

Samoan coconut candy is the sweet made for sharing, cooked in big batches at home and wrapped in small parcels for guests and children. It uses the island’s most abundant gift — the coconut — and turns it into glossy, chewy confection with nothing more than sugar and patience. At village markets it is sold in little bags, and it never lasts long.

What makes it great: as the coconut and sugar cook down, they turn into a sticky, caramelized mass that is intensely coconutty and faintly toasty. The texture is chewy and satisfying, like the best caramel you have ever had, with real coconut shreds in every bite. A single square is enough, but nobody stops at one.

Samoa recipes →