Toasted Coconut Chips with Cinnamon Recipe

What Is Toasted Coconut Chips with Cinnamon?

Toasting coconut flakes in a dry skillet works the same way as browning any thin, fatty flake: a few minutes of heat turn the pale flesh a deep gold and pull out its natural sweetness. This version sticks to four ingredients, tossing the flakes with a touch of maple syrup first so the cinnamon and salt have something to cling to as everything browns. The chip that comes out carries the fat and fiber of whole coconut flesh instead of the refined oils in a bag of crackers.

What Makes This Recipe Anti-Inflammatory?

Coconut flakes are the pressed, dried flesh of the fruit, which puts most of their fat in the form of medium-chain triglycerides. These shorter fat molecules go straight to the liver for fuel rather than needing the longer digestive route long-chain oils take, and the flakes add fiber and manganese too.

Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of a tree, not a seed, which keeps it off the list of spices this diet avoids. Its active compound, cinnamaldehyde, drives both the smell of it toasting and most of the research interest in the spice.

The maple syrup here is one teaspoon across four servings, closer to a seasoning that helps the cinnamon and salt stick than to anything resembling dessert.

Every ingredient is compliant with the AIP elimination phase. There are no grains, legumes, nightshades, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds or seed-based spices, and the sweetness comes from a permitted syrup rather than refined sugar.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened large coconut flakes
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Step 1

Toss the coconut flakes with the maple syrup in a large bowl until coated, then sprinkle over the cinnamon and salt and toss again. Coating the flakes first gives the dry ingredients something to cling to.

Step 2

Spread the flakes in a wide, dry skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for 3 to 5 minutes, until most of them have turned golden at the edges.

Step 3

Watch the pan closely once the color starts to shift. Coconut goes from golden to burnt in about 30 seconds, so this is not a recipe to walk away from.

Step 4

The moment the flakes look done, tip them out onto a plate and spread them into a single layer. The hot metal keeps cooking them if they stay in the skillet, and a heap on the plate traps steam that softens them right back down.

Step 5

Let the chips cool completely before judging them, since they firm up fully as they cool rather than while hot. Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

InflammaScore

1 Good! Very low inflammation potential

Q&A

Q1: Is this recipe suitable for the AIP elimination phase?
A1: Yes. Coconut, cinnamon, maple syrup and sea salt are all permitted during elimination. Coconut counts as a fruit rather than a nut, cinnamon is bark rather than a seed spice, and maple syrup is a permitted sweetener while refined sugar is not.

Q2: Why did my coconut chips burn?
A2: Almost always the heat was too high or your attention was elsewhere too long. Coconut goes from golden to burnt in about 30 seconds once it starts browning, so keep the burner at medium and pull the pan off the moment the edges turn gold.

Q3: Can I make these in the oven instead?
A3: Yes. Spread the coated flakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point. Check the edges of the tray first, since the flakes there sit closer to the oven walls and brown before the center does.

Q4: Can I use shredded coconut instead of flakes?
A4: Large flakes work best here, sometimes sold as coconut chips on the package. Shredded coconut toasts fine, but its smaller pieces brown fast and end up eating more like a topping than a chip you pick up and crunch on its own.

Q5: How do I store these and how long do they keep?
A5: Let them cool completely, then move to an airtight jar at room temperature, where they hold their crunch for up to 2 weeks. If they soften, spread them back in a dry skillet for 2 minutes over medium heat to revive the crunch.