Coconut is a master magician. From coconut oil, water, and butter to milk and flour, there's a million and one uses for it in the kitchen. Well, we're happy to say there's one more - chips. What are they? Coconut chips are crunchy, irresistible bits of toasted coconut meat. They can be plain, lightly sweetened with coconut sugar (another!) or flavored with spices or cacao.
Check out some of our favorite ways to use them:
1. Pad Thai
Sprinkle 1/4 cup on top of your favorite pad thai recipe for a sweet, crunchy bite.
2. Coconut Crusted Shrimp
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com, here.
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups lightly-sweetened coconut chips, broken up roughly
- 3 egg whites, beaten until foamy
Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl; pour coconut chips in a separate shallow bowl and lightly crush. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well.
3. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through.
3. Acai Bowls
These beautiful chips add the perfect final touch to your acai masterpiece. What's an acai bowl? Part smoothie, part art, it's an antioxidant-rich snack that's topped with nourishing whole foods and served "cereal style" (bowl+spoon). The smoothie base is typically frozen acai puree (or powder) blended with fruit and a bit of coconut milk to create a thick, “scoopable” texture.
4. Macaroons
Recipe from Food 52, here.
Ingredients:
- 4 large egg whites
- 3 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut chips
- 3/4 cup sugar, or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder)
- Slightly rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients in a large heatproof mixing bowl, preferably stainless steel because the mixture will heat faster than in glass. Set the bowl directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water (if your bowl bobs in the water, simply pour some out).
2. Stir the mixture with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom to prevent burning, until the mixture is very hot to the touch and the egg whites have thickened slightly and turned from translucent to opaque, 5 to 7 minutes. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes to let the coconut absorb more of the goop.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Using 2 tablespoons of batter, make attractive heaps 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets. (You can also make these smaller and bake for less time, in 1-tablespoon heaps.) Bake for about 5 minutes, just until the coconut tips begin to color, rotating the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.
4. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are a beautiful cream and gold with deeper brown edges, again rotating the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time. If the coconut tips are browning too fast, lower the heat to 300 degrees.
5. Set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool. Let cool completely before gently peeling the parchment away from each cookie.
5. ...As Chips
OK, so we cheated a little - but seriously, coconut chips are the perfect swap for potato chips. They're crunchy and satisfying, plus they have heart-healthy fats!
