Cream of Coconut

What is Cream of Coconut? Cream of coconut is a thick, heavily sweetened coconut mixture, not to be confused with plain coconut cream or coconut milk. It's coconut milk cooked down with sugar until it's rich, glossy and properly indulgent. It's what gives our Piña Colada its proper body and sweetness, rather than tasting watered down and thin. Why should I make Cream of Coconut? Yes you can buy a tin of it, our recommendation though is to make it yourself. Shop-bought cream of coconut is often thinner than it should be and padded out with stabilisers and preservatives to survive months on a shelf. This version is just three ingredients: coconut milk, sugar and a pinch of salt, so you know exactly what's in it. It costs noticeably less than a name-brand tin, and the salt rounds out the sweetness so the coconut flavour actually tastes like coconut rather than just sugar. Cheaper and better, made properly at home, and it's exactly what goes into our Piña Colada. Ingredients 400ml (13.5oz) unsweetened full-fat coconut milk, 1 can 420ml (1.75 cups) white sugar A pinch of salt How to make it Prep Time: 1 minute Cooking Time: 4-5 minutes Total Time: 5-6 minutes Preheat a saucepan on a low heat Combine the coconut milk, sugar and salt in the pan Stir constantly over a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved That's it, remove from the heat once it's smooth and fully combined Storing your Cream of Coconut This one's a bit more delicate than a pure sugar syrup since it's got coconut milk in it. Keep it in the fridge in a sterilised, airtight bottle and use it within one to two weeks rather than the month or so you'd get from a straight syrup. It freezes well though, so if you've made more than you'll get through in a fortnight, freeze it in a small batch and defrost as you need it.