Trinidad Coconut Roll Recipe
Growing up in Trinidad we didn’t buy much candies. It just wasn’t in our family’s budget to get expensive candies. One thing I remember growing up there is the number of sweets my mom used to bake for us every week. My dad however was always planting all kinds of fruit trees so we always had something to snack on.
This year for Christmas my sister challenged us to focus on recipes that reminded us of home. Ones we grew up with and enjoyed all year round. She however had a handy Carribbean recipes cookbook and I only had my Coconut Milk Fudge recipe that I’ve mastered, well aside from Curry Chicken. However for family occasions my mom always makes the Curry Chicken and fudge was a no-brainer for me. I wanted to try something different so I started searching the web for a recipe for coconut tarts.
Living in Trinidad we had two coconut trees in our yard, so we would use freshly grated coconuts for this recipe but since I didn’t want to waste time looking for them in the store I purchased Baker’s Grated Coconut in the packs. It worked perfectly with the recipe.
Dough rolled out with coconut filling
The key to pulling this recipe off well is the amazing short dough crust. When I started looking for recipes online I could only find tarts like mini tarts baked similar to pie. That wasn’t what I wanted. I couldn’t rely on my mom for help with the recipe because since her stroke, she doesn’t remember most of the meals she prepared back when we lived there. I searched and searched till I found the perfect recipe I could tweak to make the dough for the rolls.
Coconut Roll ready for the oven
With this dough you can either use it to make rolls or cut them in rounds to make tarts. I liked making the rolls because it seemed like I ended up with more. One bit and I was instantly back in Trinidad, as a young girl in my mother’s kitchen.
I couldn’t wait to take these to my family’s Christmas dinner. I knew they would be a hit with my family. My brother was the first to take a roll, since he had to leave early. Once everyone tasted them they were gone before I knew it.
These are super easy to make and they store well in an air tight container. It doesn’t require to many ingredients, so it’s a very affordable treat to make for your family. Check out the recipe below and if you grew up on these and try the recipe let me know how it goes.
Ingredients
- For Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 stick of butter/margarine cut into cubes
- 4 tablespoons of ice water
- For Filling
- 1 Package Baker's Shredded Coconut
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon of water
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Instructions
- Put flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor. Add butter and quickly cut it into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add ice water and mix briefly, about 30 seconds, to form a soft dough. Remove dough, shape into a thick disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Bring to cool room temperature before rolling.
- While the dough is resting mix the shredded coconut, brown sugar, water and nutmeg together in a pot. Let it boil for about 20 minutes on low. Stir occasionally.
- When you're ready to bake the rolls. Preheat the oven on 350 degrees.
- To roll, lightly flour dough on counter. Roll out gradually, periodically letting dough rest for a moment before continuing. This makes rolling easier and will keep dough from shrinking back during baking.
- Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick and fill with the coconut filling. Roll over folding in the ends as you go. Use a fork to lightly stick the top of the dough and brush with an egg wash.
- Bake on a baking sheet for 35 minutes until golden brown. Check the rolls around 25 minutes to make sure the bottoms is not burning. Line the sheet with parchment paper since the filling may spill from the roll. This makes for easier cleanup.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into 2 inch pieces. Cut diagonally and serve. Store rolls in an air tight container.
Nickida
Nickida - is a wife and stay at home mother of four. She was born in Trinidad but moved to the US at age 14. She started blogging on an off for about three years and recently started writing more consistently. She enjoys sharing about her children, marriage, books, recipes, movies, reviews, giveaways and much more. She is working on improving her baking skills and building on her cake decorating business.
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I loved this recipe! So simple and tasty. I also a Trini so the finished product definitely brought back memories. Thank you for sharing.
Oh I’m glad you liked it. I loved making it and trying it with my family definitely brings back memories.
How big are these rolls? What size do you roll out the dough into? And how many does this serve? Thx!
It depends on if you plan to make one big roll or two smaller rolls. I prefer to make two rolls and I roll it out into about an inch. Each roll depends on how thick you cut the rolls.
I can’t wait to try it! I hope it comes out as good as it looks. All the best to you and family.