Shredded Sweetened Coconut

My favorite decadent snack is Hello Dollies, you know them...a crust of graham crackers topped with chopped walnuts, coconut, chocolate chips and smothered in Condensed milk....then baked to a golden perfection.

So my question is this...I always seem to have a few bags of Nestle Chocolate Chips around the house, but its the coconut I can't seem to keep in the house. I always seem to eat it. At the moment I have some Bakers brand Shredded coconut and its so delish. But I can't find a good British substitute for this kind of coonut, the coconut here is always really dry...

Anyone have any suggestions??

What about grating fresh coconut? Would that work?

Don't think you're going to find anything. Everything here is dessicated and not sweetened..you could grate fresh but it wouldn't have that sweet taste.

I'm wondering what does 'dessicated' mean exactly?  Also, could she take that & add some kind of sweetener (maybe powdered sugar & a bit of water/moisture?) to it to sort of make the sweetened coconut like we're used to?

Desiccated just means drying out to preserve it.  Coconut is naturally moist... my guess is because British arent as coconut happy as we are are so it's not the most sought after ingredient....thus selling it dry to preserve shelf life?? Just a guess. I like to have people bring me back coconut from back home.

I'm wondering what does 'dessicated' mean exactly? 

Dried. (Hopster beat me to it!)

Also, could she take that & add some kind of sweetener (maybe powdered sugar & a bit of water/moisture?) to it to sort of make the sweetened coconut like we're used to?

I would think it would be worth a try. But the stuff here also seems more finely shredded to me.

Not that I'm much help, 'cause I actually prefer the UK coconut. I never liked the sweetened kind, plus here they don't seem to use preservatives in it.

I've used the UK coconut in the 7 layer bars (haven't heard them called Hello Dollies!) and thought they were fine. But tbh, I never noticed a huge difference in the coconut. The stuff my mother buys comes in a bag and though it is sometimes sweetened, it's never sticky.

I find with the bars that the condensed milk makes the coconut sticky once baked.

Yummers!  May I have the exact recipe please?

You can find shredded sweetened coconut in Sainsburys.  They have the dessicated stuff and also the sweetened.  It is called sweetened and tenderised coconut and comes in a green plastic packet.  It is not the longer shredded stuff we get in the States but it works just fine.
Good luck

You can find shredded sweetened coconut in Sainsburys.  They have the dessicated stuff and also the sweetened.  It is called sweetened and tenderised coconut and comes in a green plastic packet.  It is not the longer shredded stuff we get in the States but it works just fine.
Good luck

Oh well that's good to know!

I've used the UK coconut in the 7 layer bars (haven't heard them called Hello Dollies!) and thought they were fine. But tbh, I never noticed a huge difference in the coconut. The stuff my mother buys comes in a bag and though it is sometimes sweetened, it's never sticky.

I find with the bars that the condensed milk makes the coconut sticky once baked.

That's pretty much the only thing I use dessicated coconut in, and they're normally soooo sweet that it really doesn't make any difference using the unsweetened stuff.

You can find shredded sweetened coconut in Sainsburys.  They have the dessicated stuff and also the sweetened.  It is called sweetened and tenderised coconut and comes in a green plastic packet.  It is not the longer shredded stuff we get in the States but it works just fine.
Good luck

Got this and used it today. Finally, a substitute that works! Yes it's not as long but it's exactly the same

Hey, where is our 7 layer bar recipe??

This one?

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). In 13x9-inch baking pan, melt margarine in oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour EAGLE BRAND® evenly over crumbs. Layer evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.
Variations

7-Layer Magic Cookie Bars: Substitute 1 cup (6-ounces) butterscotch flavored chips* for 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and proceed as directed above.

This one?

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts


I never knew they were called either Hello Dollies or 7 Layer bars....ive always just called them pecan coconut bars... I've made more of these for work than any other dessert around-people go mad for them.  (Then they want the recipe and I get embarrassed to give it out as it's so easy...... )