Coconut Clusters

These coconut clusters are so easy to make! Perfect for adults and kids alike. They’re ideal for school lunches, road trips, or a healthy dessert option if you’re feeling peckish.

There are so many tasty combination of ingredients that you make. I generally go with the coconut flakes, dark chocolate, dried cranberry and roasted nuts combo and can be loaded with good fats,  nutrients and energy. Especially, if you use high quality ingredients.

overview

preparation

Just assemble all your you ingredients. Pre-roast the nuts if you like them extra toasty. The coconut clusters only spend 8-10 minutes in the oven and that wouldn’t be enough time to properly roast the raw nuts, hence me pre roasting them. Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat your oven.

time:

You’ll throw all the ingredients tin a bowl, give it a mix, scoop the coconut clusters on to a lined baking tray and bake in the oven until golden brown and toasty.

oven baked or air fried?:

This recipe is perfect for both, so go ahead and use whichever appliance suits you.

different combinations:

You can go crazy with the various different chocolate, nuts, seeds and dried fruits you’d like to use. Just make sure the ratios are simpler to the original recipe and that you’ve added enough condensed milk, it’s should be sticky enough to stick together whilst baking. You can also drizzle some yoghurt icing for extra tang. You make healthier versions or you can make more indulgent ones but one thing I’ve always added are the coconut flakes. I’ve never tried desiccated coconut though, that could be quite interesting. One tip though, try your best to use high quality ingredients for the best results.

• Coconut flakes, condensed milk, dried apricots, white chocolate chips and toasted cashew nuts
• Coconut flakes, condensed milk, muesli mix and peanuts
• Coconut flakes, condensed milk, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, dried apples, and cinnamon
• Coconut flakes, condensed milk, dates, peanut butter and dark chocolate chips
• Coconut flakes, condensed milk, dried banana chips, rolled oats and almonds

storage:

You can store the coconut clusters in an air tight container, on the counter top for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week but honestly, I doubt you’ll have any leftover for that long.

perfect for anyone:

Besides if you have an allergy towards any of the ingredients (duh). Seriously though, this snack is a great lunch box option for the anyone who needs a snack on the go. I also love the fact that it’s so versatile and customizable to your taste and texture preference.

Coconut Clusters

The ultimate snack made using coconut flakes, chocolate, almonds, cranberries and condensed milk. You can use any combination of dried fruits, chocolate and nuts you fancy. Perfect for kids and adults alike!

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Course: Snack

Keyword: chocolate, clusters, coconut, cookies, cranberries, nuts

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 15 clusters

Author: The Big Tasty Bite

Ingredients

• 170 grams unsweetened coconut flakes
• 170 grams dark chocolate chips see note 1
• 160 grams almonds roasted and roughly chopped, see note 2
• 50 grams dried cranberries roughly chopped, see note 3
• 100g condensed milk or coconut condensed milk
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 175℃ / 347℉ (no fan).
• Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well combined.
• On a lined baking sheet, scoop about 1/3 cup worth of the mixture on to a baking sheet and shape the clusters in to cookie-like shapes. The clusters won't spread so you can place them rather close to one another.
• Bake for 8-10minutes or until the edges of the coconut are golden brown in color.
• Allow to cool down and enjoy, tastebud!

Video

Notes

1. Chocolate:  I prefer using dark chocolate but it also depends on my mood and what I have on hand. Feel free to use any type of chocolate, but high quality will naturally yield a better result. You also don't have to use chocolate so feel free to get creative. 
2. Nuts: You can use any type of nut or seeds you like. I prefer to use roasted nuts because the clusters only bake for around 10 minutes and that's not long enough for the nuts to actually roast. I roast the almonds a preheated oven for 10-15minutes at 180℃ / 355℉ (no fan). Allow to cool before giving a rough chop.
3. Dried fruits: I love the sourness from the cranberries but you can use any dried fruit. I've also make these using dried apricots, pears, apples etc.
4. Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. I wouldn't recommend freezing them.