Rich Coconut Buns are one of my favorite afternoon snacks from my childhood. These buns are very similar to scones in how they are made, but no one ever calls them scones. They are simply buns or coconut buns regardless of if there is one or more than one. I learned to make buns in my Home Ec. class in high school. We used the rub in method for combining the fat and the dry ingredients. For years, I was using a creaming method, to make my buns but recently I went right back into the rub in method for the fat and the dry ingredients. I love that my buns making has come full circle. And before we get to the recipe, don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss upcoming recipes and please follow me on Instagram.
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Simple Ingredients for Rich Coconut Buns
Traditionally we make buns using all purpose flour, sugar, fresh grated coconuts and lots of butter, with some baking powder and spices. In my home no one likes raisins or any other kind of dried fruits in their buns. Many people love to add a maraschino cherry to their buns before baking. No one in my family likes this, so we just skip it. When you're making your buns, you can feel free to add raisins or currents and top it with a maraschino cherry. You can also switch up the spices by adding some grated nutmeg and a bit of orange zest for freshness. But we keep our buns pretty basic.
Using Coconut Flakes
Before discovering frozen grated coconuts in my local Asian market I made my coconut buns with sweetened coconut flakes. It makes a pretty tasty coconut buns. If you are using coconut flakes, I recommend using 3 ½ cups of coconut flakes and pulsing it in the food processor to make it closer to the texture of grated coconut.
Fun for the Family
This recipe is very family friendly. Let the little ones help with rubbing the fat into the dry ingredients or even scooping the buns onto the baking sheet. My daughter loved pulling up a chair to the counter and helping to scoop these out and of course she loves eating buns.
Making the Buns Vegan
My children have dairy allergies, so I've been converting my recipes to dairy free or vegan wherever I can. I converted this recipe to vegan, after my aunt (who has been vegan for decades) visited lasted year and made coconut buns with my children Her vegan buns tasted exactly the same as the regular butter filled buns and inspired me to switch to making vegan coconut buns.
The Rich Coconut Buns Video Tutorial:
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The Printable Rich Coconut Buns Recipe:
- 2 cups All Purpose flour
- 1 cup of finely grated coconut (about 1 whole coconut) or 7 ounces of coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ½ cup of butter
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of almond extract
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- To a large mixing bowl add the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar and mix together well
- Then using a fork or a pastry blender cut/rub butter into flour mixture. You can grate your butter on the shred side of a cheese grater to make it easier to mix with the flour and dry ingredients
- When the dry ingredients and the butter are combined and form a crumbly texture add the grated coconuts and mix together well
- Next, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract and set aside
- Then form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the eggs mixture
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula mix the eggs and dry ingredients until a soft dough forms
- Next on a greased baking sheet separate the dough into 12 to 16 pieces depending on the size of buns that you like. You can use a [url href="https://amzn.to/3fzVKn1"]cookie scoop[/url] for this step or two spoons
- Then bake for 25 minutes at 350°F
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool
- When cooled enjoy!
The Vegan Coconut Buns Recipe:
- 2 cups All Purpose flour
- 1 cup of finely grated coconut (about 1 whole coconut) or 7 ounces of coconut flakes
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ½ cup of coconut oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup of coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of almond extract
- Preheat your oven to 350°F
- To a large mixing bowl add the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar and mix together well
- Then using a fork or cut/rub coconut oil into the flour mixture.
- When the dry ingredients and the coconut oil are combined and form a crumbly texture add the grated coconuts and mix together well
- Next add the vanilla extract and almond extract to the coconut milk and set aside
- Then form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the coconut milk mixture
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients until a soft dough forms
- Next on a greased baking sheet separate the dough into 12 to 16 scoops depending on the size of buns that you like. You can use a [url href="https://amzn.to/3fzVKn1"]cookie scoop[/url] for this step or two spoons
- Then bake for 30 minutes at 350°F
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool
- When cooled enjoy!
Check out these other great recipes:
Banana Muffins
Butter Flaps
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Anisia says
Althee, meh proud ah yuh gyal. Never knew you had a food blog. It's about time a fellow Guyanese, or should i say young generation Guyanese start something like this. There are some dishes that we learn from we muma that have no exact recipe. It's a pinch of this and a butter cup of that. Love it!! Keep this blog going. Xoxox - Anisia
Metemgee says
Thanks Anisia. It's a lot of work, but lots of fun!
Fan says
Love the recipe, keep posting more.
Metemgee says
Thank you.
Dr.Marquita Caroll says
Love my coconut bun, here the request, for the sugar buns what are the bit of flour please what else?
Metemgee says
Sugar buns? Not sure what those are...
Queen Bee says
I was about to make the buns when I realized that the measurement does not added up. 1 cup is equal to 8 ozs. So does the recipe need 8 ozs or 4 ozs. of butter? The same for the sugar, flour and coconut flakes. 6 ozs cannot equal to 1 cup and 7 ozs cannot equal 2 1/2 cups. Please review. Thank you.
Metemgee says
Hi there. Sorry for the confusion. I actually weighed my ingredients but got a bit sloppy with the conversion. You are right, for the butter, sugar is 1/2 cup. The flour is 3/4 cups (about) and the coconut flakes were actually 2 1/2 cups cause there are light in weight but a lot volume wise. I've also made this recipe measuring the ingredients with a measuring cup and I've used 1 cup of flour for a slightly denser bun. Hope this helps. I'm out of town on vacation and will adjust the site when I get home. Thanks for letting me know.
Kim says
This the third item I've made by following your receipe and I must say yummy. ( salara and the pumpkin receipe were the others, although I used butternut squash). Oh wait I forgot I also made roti but I don't have the technique to perfect it as yet. Next up is bake n cross bun for Easter. Keep the receipes coming. Thanks
Aria says
I just found this website - the vegan coconut drops - oh mercy! I don't have the self-discipline to stop eating! They are SO good! I am not vegan but I can't eat eggs and miss out on so much. I used butter instead of coconut oil and almond milk instead of coconut but it was still sooooo good. I know I'm 7 years late but this was too good not to say thanks all the same.
Elsa says
Hi: I love coconut buns. Is it possible for you to give me the original recipe? I’m just lost without it. I’m sure this version is great, but I’m old school🙂
Lisa Walker says
Hi,
Is the coconut milk the chilled milk from a carton or the canned variety please?
Many thanks,
Lisa
Althea Brown says
You can use the milk from the can or the one in the carton just make sure it says coconut milk and not coconut beverage
Shaquille says
Tried it, loved it. Well done.
Sherisha says
I just made these for the first time and WOW! They are so perfect! My dad was always the one to make buns in our family, but hasn't in a while. I'm so glad I gave these a shot; they taste just like his and were so quick and easy to make (especially because I didn't have to crack open, separate, and grate a fresh coconut :). Thank you and I can't wait to make them again!