Coconut & mango friands

"The coconut trees, lithe and graceful, crowd the beach like a minuet of slender elderly virgins adopting flippant poses."

William Manchester

I have proclaimed my love of coconuts many times I am sure. Whilst I regularly indulge in either the liquid or dried forms, I rarely eat them from the shell; let's face it, if I were to open them like my grandmother used to, with a cordless drill and a machete, I'd most likely lose a limb...or two. And as much as I love them fresh, that's just a little too much effort for me most of the year.

So I satisfy my cravings with coconut milk or cream in drinks or curries, or most commonly with dessicated coconut in baked sweets. One of my wedding gifts was a friand tray, so what better way to have my fix and de-virginise some bake ware by making Coconut & Mango Friands.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 6mins.
cooking time: 25mins.
total: 31mins. I ended up with 9 friands from my tray of 12.
taste: 4.5/5. They had a buttery almost crispy shell which yielded a moist coconut cake. The mangoes added tanginess whilst the cranberries added a tart sweetness all of which came in and out with the coconut. Great afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee.

would I make it again: Yes. I would swirl the mango and cranberries through the mixture next time so they are better dispersed and I get the three flavours with each mouthful. They only made 9 small friands though.

recipe: http://australianfood.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/r/MangoFriand.htm