The Proven Platter – Uganda, September 2024
It’s not often that we have a candy recipe here at Together Women Rise, but this one is simple and loaded with flavor. It can be enjoyed all year, and will be a delight for everything from pool parties to holiday gatherings.
Be sure to read the note at the end from recipe co-curator Georgia Reader. If you are an experienced candy maker (and you have a candy thermometer), you can customize this to be more like a peanut brittle, but don’t stress too much about the consistency if you are new to making candy. Whether this is softer like fudge, firm like toffee, or a hard candy, the flavor will be a winner.
Kashata – Peanut Coconut Candy
Ingredients
2 cups roasted peanuts
1 cup coconut flakes
2 cups sugar
¾ cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
Directions
Add the coconut milk, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring slowly, until the sugar melts and starts to caramelize.
Remove from heat. Immediately stir in the roasted peanuts and coconut until thoroughly blended.
Pour the candy on a sheet pan covered with greased parchment paper. Once the candy has cooled, cut it into serving size pieces.
*Note: There are many variations of this dish, from the spices used to the amount of caramelization of the sauce. Caramelizing the sugar slowly on a lower heat will give you better control of your desired brittleness of the finished product. Cooking the sauce to hard ball temperature (260 F) will give you softer consistency. If you prefer a more brittle candy, heat to hard crack temperature (320 F). You can test the consistency of your candy while cooking by dropping a few drops of it in cold water. See this video for a look at how to determine the stage.
Recipe and photo credit: Georgia Reader