If you enjoyed the flaky Chin Chin recipe, you will love this Coconut Chin Chin recipe! It’s a West African snack made of flavorful, beautifully textured dough fried to perfection.
Coconut chin chin are similar to croquettes, but the twist is that they contain coconuts!
How to Make Coconut Chin Chin
For a new and healthy snack, follow along for the best chin chin recipe!
Ingredients
Coconut
Coconut is the ingredient that makes chin chin extra yummy, healthy, and special! It even gives you that tropical, nutty, and sweet flavor.
Coconut nutrients can improve your heart, digestion, weight management, blood sugar, immunity, and brain function! I usually use coconuts for Coconut Milk, Nigerian Coconut Egg Rolls, and Coconut Rice.
Plain flour
Flour provides the gluten network for the structure of the good you are making. Moreover, this ingredient can be used to flour the surface to mold and knead the dough.
Cane sugar
The sugar will help with the leavening process. It also adds a browning effect to the fried chin chin. Sugar also adds sweetness and moisture to the recipe.
Salted butter
Butter is useful for the creamy flavor of the dough. It can also extend the shelf life of the dish you are making. The salted version is best for frying dishes.
Powdered milk
To achieve a golden brown and delicious crust, you must add powdered milk. It also adds a richer character to the chin chin. Furthermore, it helps create a great crunchy texture for the dish.
Egg
The egg combines all of the ingredients together to make the dough. It can also be a leavening agent and flavorful addition to the snack. Eggs can also give the chin chin that extra puff.
Seasoning
To season, simply use sea salt and nutmeg for a more diverse flavor. Coconuts and nutmegs are a match made in heaven so don’t forget to add nutmeg!
Sunflower oil
Since we’re deep drying, it is best to use sunflower for its high smoke point and ability to withstand high temperatures. It prevents the chin chin from losing all its nutrients.
Don’t worry, this recipe is so easy and fun that you can ask your sibling or kids to help you make it!
Directions
- Break and peel the coconut until you’re left with the coconut meat.
- Use a knife to slice it into small cubes.
- Add enough coconut water or water before blending.
- With a blender, blend until smooth and set it aside.
- In a bowl, combine flour, cane sugar, powdered milk, nutmeg, and sea salt.
- Add the salted butter and mash together until crumbly.
- Add the eggs and the blended coconut in the middle.
- Knead the ingredients until you form a dough.
- Lightly flour on a flat surface and place the flour on top.
- Slice the dough in half and roll it out to about ¼ inch of thickness.
- You can use an oven rack as a guide to slice it into small squares.
- Once done, use a dough scraper to scrape them off the surface and transfer them onto a tray.
- Pour sunflower oil into a pan and allow to heat over medium fire.
- Fry the dough in batches and keep stirring for even doneness.
- Once golden brown, transfer to a tray or plate lined with a kitchen towel.
Allow the chin chin to cool down completely so it becomes crunchy and yummy.
With this recipe, you get the nutrients, the crunch, the texture, and the flavors, what more could we possibly ask for, right? Chin chin’s not just a snack, it’s also an enjoyable recipe for the entire family!
Tips for Making Coconut Chin Chin
How to Select, Store, and Prepare a Coconut
Selection. In purchasing coconut, go for ones without molds or cracks, especially around the eyes. You should hear and feel sloshing sounds from the inside. If the sloshing sound is strong, it means that it contains more coconut water than meat.
Storage. Unopened coconuts can last up to 4 months at room temperature. Meanwhile, opened coconuts can be stored in plastic bags in the fridge. Shredded coconuts can be refrigerated for up to five days. Once shredded, use it within 2 days.
To store coconut water, pour it into an airtight bottle and refrigerate for 2 days but note that is best used within 4 hours. Alternatively, freeze it in ice cube trays, and once frozen solid, store it in freezer bags to last up to several weeks.
Preparation. Locate the soft eye and use a screwdriver or knife to make a hole. Leave the screwdriver inside and tap it inside the coconut using a hammer until you reach the center.
Remove the screwdriver and turn the coconut over onto a bowl or glass to extract the coconut water. You can even drink it directly from the coconut. To expose the coconut meat, pound it with the hammer while rotating the fruit.
Use a peeler to remove the excess skin on the coconut meat. Rinse it with water and slice as you prefer!
How to Blend Coconut Without a Blender
If you don’t have a blender, you can grate the coconut meat and combine it with coconut water in a nutmilk bag. You may also use a mortar, pestle, or hand mixer to puree the coconut.
How to Handle Dough
Start by mixing the dry ingredients before incorporating the semi-solid components of the recipe. You can use your hands to manually work on the dough if you don’t have a mixer or kneading attachment. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes to knead the dough.
Moreover, do not forget to flour the surface and the dough because this will help in preventing the dough from sticking. If the dough is sticky, knead more dough into it to absorb the moisture.
Do not over-knead the dough because this can affect the overall quality of the chin chin. You can use a dough cutter or a knife to cut the dough. The sliced dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days in an airtight container but let it thaw before frying.
How to Cook Chin Chin
Aside from deep-frying, you can also use an oven or an air fryer.
Oven
Arrange the chin chin on a lined oven rack, place them in the preheated oven, and let it bake for up to 15 minutes or until brown. Once golden brown on the other side, flip them over for even baking.
Air Fryer
Distribute a single layer of the sliced dough but do not overcrowd them. Let this cook for 15 minutes. Shake the air fryer basket every 5 minutes for even browning.
Chin Chin Variations
This recipe is not vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free but you are free to substitute some ingredients for other condiments that are better suited to your diet.
For example, you can use gluten-free flour, butter, or sugar. You may also use lactose-free powdered milk to retain the creaminess of the chin chin.
If you don’t prefer the coconut flavor, you can cook chin chin in different flavors such as chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, peanut butter, or spicy. Just add dry ingredients for seasoning.
To try flavored ones, you can make Beetroot Chin Chin or Milo Chin Chin
Recommended Tools
- Frying pan: Use a deep frying pan to cook the chin chin.
- Glass bowl: Combine and knead the ingredients in a bowl.
- Spatula: Mix the condiments using a spatula.
- Dough cutter: Slice the dough using a pizza cutter.
- Knife: This can also be used to cut the dough.
- Glass: Transfer the coconut water into a glass.
- Peeler: Remove as much skin as you can from the coconut meat.
- Skimmer spoon: Take out the chin chin from heat using a skimmer to drain oil.
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How to Serve Coconut Chin Chin
Chin chin is usually consumed as a snack but it can also work as an appetizer in lunches or picnics. If you run out of cereal, combine it with almond milk for a crunchy and creamy combination.
You can even sell these as a business! Simply put them in bowls, plastic bags, or plastic cups for easy eating. You can also enjoy Coconut Chin Chin with:
Storage Tips
- At room temperature: Store the chin chin in a plastic bag or airtight container to last up to several weeks at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chin chin recipe healthy?
Yes, chin chin is healthy because it doesn’t contain preservatives and additives that are usually found in snacks or junk food.
With the combined nutrients of coconuts, milk, nutmeg, and other ingredients, you can ensure that you won’t feel guilty for snacking on this!
What is coconut chin chin?
Coconut Chin Chin is a West African snack made from homemade dough. Adding a coconut flavor enriches the overall quality of this dish.
Chin Chin
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour
- 100 g cane sugar
- 125 g salted butter
- 100 g coconut (blended)
- 75 g powdered milk
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 egg
- sunflower oil (enough to deep-fry)
Instructions
- Prepare the blended coconut. First, break and peel the coconut until you’re left with the coconut meat. Slice it into small cubes. Add enough coconut water or water before blending. Blend until smooth and set it aside.
- Make the dough. In a deep bowl, combine flour, cane sugar, powdered milk, nutmeg, and sea salt. Add the salted butter and mash together until crumbly. Add the eggs and the blended coconut in the middle. Knead the ingredients until you form a dough. Check the dough for doneness by applying slight pressure on it. If it bounces back quickly, it is ready.
- Slice the dough into preferred shapes and sizes. Lightly flour on a flat surface and place the flour on top. Slice the dough in half and roll it out to about ¼ inch of thickness. You can use an oven rack as a guide to slice it into small squares. Use a knife or pizza cutter to slice it into cubes, strips, or triangles. Once done, scrape them off the surface and transfer them onto a tray.
- Fry the chin chin. Pour sunflower oil in a pan and allow to heat over medium fire. To test if the oil is hot enough, lower some dough into the oil. If the dough floats to the surface, then the oil is hot enough. Fry the dough in batches and keep stirring for even doneness. Once golden brown, transfer to a tray or plate lined with a kitchen towel. Allow the chin chin to cool down completely so it becomes crunchy and yummy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
