Shuku Shuku (Coconut Balls) – quick and easy, addictive, sweet bite-sized African treats made with coconut flakes and few other ingredients. So good that you’d popping these one after the other!
West Africa has an abundance of quick, easy and delicious snack food, chin-chin, puff puff, kelewele, suya, that taste great and we all lust over (at least those of us living abroad), despite the fact that we are surrounded by plethora of snacks.
Shuku shuku is another strong contender- one of those addictive snacks , which brings pleasurable childhood memories and make you want to relive your childhood all over again.
Well, not really ….just some parts of it. Anyways, back to to these mouthful of joy.
Shuku -shuku is a sweet tasting Nigerian snack that has found it’s way to other neighboring countries and each country has embraced it , Why? because it tastes great and can be made in less than no time .The star ingredient in this recipe is coconut, of course, eggs, sugar , and flour to coat the coconut balls. I included vanilla bean in the recipe for added flavor or you can do the same or include a dash of nutmeg.
If you love macaroons , you going are in for a treat because they are somewhat similar in taste and texture however, these coconut balls are crunchy on the outside and chewy inside ,but slightly less sweet , allowing room for the coconut to shine through.
It is important to use unsweetened coconut flakes in this recipe. If you can’t find it, use 1 egg and 1 egg yolk and increase the coconut flakes to 1 1/2 cup and generously roll in flour .
Serve it at room temperature.
Shuku Shuku (Coconut Balls)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 2 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean or 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup flour or self rising flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Align cookie sheet with parchment or foil paper, coat with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the coconut flakes , eggs, and sugar.
- Split open vanilla bean and scrape the the inside with the dull side of a knife add it to the coconut mixture . Mix well until all the mixture is fully combined .
- Scoop a spoonful of mixture using your hands, roll it into bite size balls. Then roll each coconut ball in flour and place on an baking sheet. Bake approximately for 15 -20 minutes or until it slightly turns brown. Cool and store in an air tight container.
Nutrition Information:
hadiza salisu says
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Can I fry instead of bake them?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Hadiza, I have not tried Frying them, so I can’t say for sure what the outcome with be. If you please let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
jessica says
hi! i’m making this recipe for my african dance class and i was wondering if you had any insight on how this recipe is included in african culture, thank you so much!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jessica, sorry nothing much to offer. Just a tasty treat made with coconut.
Connie says
I know, I have a friend who is Nigerian, and after reading this recipe I want to make it for book club because of the book we are reading. He says his mother made these very often when he was growing up and it was what they had also on holidays. So according to him, these are very popular in Lagos, Nigeria.
Dina says
they look yummy!
Africanbites says
Thanks Dina
kelsey says
I did make the shuku shuku today but mine didn’t look juicy like yours. So my question is what made yours to have that yellowish colour because mine was white. And is there anything i can do to make it juicer. The taste was great though. Thanks a lot.
Jayelee says
Hi Kelsey. Did you put too much coconut & not enough egg yolk in your recipe? And maybe too much flour? Try adding extra egg yolk until you get the consistency you are after. I do, and they come out perfect every time. Good luck 🙂
Imma says
Thanks, Kelsey. I agree. Good quality egg yolks will make the dough yellow. And coconut flour is very thirsty, so getting just a little too much can be easy. The dough should stick together enough to make balls but not be too dry. I hope that helps:)
Rosemary Niba says
Hi Emmaculate, i have been trying out each and every one of yr recipe,when i bake the Kassava Coconut cake ,it was so delicious that my friends wanted to have the reccipe.Thank u so much.
kelsey says
It looks delicious but did you forget to include the recipe? Thanks for bringing to us the best.
Africanbites says
Silly me, technology pull a fast one on me. Thanks Kelsey