(Coconut) Ice Mice ? Happy Birthday, HP!

Today is a special day.

A very, very special day.

Almost magical, I would say.

What? You don’t know what today is? Oh, you’re silly.

It’s Harry Potter’s birthday, of course!

Oh, stop shaking your head. To commemorate such an occasion, we need something enchantingly sweet, and don’t you want to know what that is?

(Coconut) Ice Mice (adapted from Almost Bourdain)

300 ml condensed milk

3 cups dried shredded coconut, unsweetened (I used a combination of “dessicated” and “medium”)

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. Thoroughly stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Mixture will become very stiff and difficult to stir near the end, so you may have to use your hands.

2. Between moistened palms, roll 1 tbsp of the mixture into a sphere, and gently flatten into a cylinder. This will be the mouse’s body.

3. Divide 1 tsp of the mixture into two. Shape one half into a teardrop, and affix to the body. This will be the head. Split the remaining half into two, and shape into balls for the ears. Place on the seam between the mouse’s head and body.  I was experimenting with head sizes here, so yours will probably not be as big.

4. I stuck a toothpick in the end for the tail, but that’s totally optional.  Use a toothpick to poke eyes into the head and etch out whiskers.  Let chill for at least an hour in the fridge, loosely blanketed with plastic wrap, until matte and no longer sticky.  Serve, or keep in an airtight container in fridge for up to three weeks.

While they don’t “chatter and squeak”, they certainly are cute.  Plus, the coconut looks like fur.   Also, I didn’t have any on hand but using  a colourless extract, particularly almond, would be a nice touch.

I only made three mice, opting to prepare the rest of the mixture as actual coconut ice, but you can probably get at least 12 mice out of this.  For those who don’t know, coconut ice is a kind of candy/coconut fudge hailing from I believe India, though the above recipe notes its prevalence in Malaysia.  It is usually served in double-layered squares, with one layer being light pink and the other light green.  & it’s good =P.  The simplicity of the mixture definitely belies the engaging experience of eating it.  The mellowness of the favour contrasts well with the boldness of the texture, and a final note of coconut is  released with the last bite.