Candy Strawberries- Brooke

This is my all-time favorite homemade holiday candy, and when I add them to a plate of holiday cookies, people always ask, "What are those?" They're strawberry candies made with Jello, sweetened coconut, pecans and sweetened condensed milk. Eat more than 1 or 2, and you'll get a major sugar rush!

Admittedly, they're a bit of a pain-- it's a gooey process and you'll end up with red-dyed fingers. But if you're a fan of coconutty-strawberry-ness, it's completely worth it.

My recipe is below. A very similar recipe (although she calls it a summer candy) is here, and the source of the photo: http://urbandrivel.blogspot.com/2007/07/strawberry-candy.html

Ingredients:
2 large packages strawberry jello
1 can sweetened condensed milk
7 oz sweetened shredded coconut
1 c fine-chopped pecans
red, pink and green sprinkles
Handy to have: wax paper

Combine everything except sprinkles and chill, covered, for 1 hour. Mix pink and red sprinkles in a small bowl. Put green sprinkles in a separate bowl. Spread a large sheet of wax paper on a working surface. With your fingers, scoop out a small amount of chilled strawberry mixture (between 1 tsp. and 1 Tbsp. in amount) and form into the shape of a strawberry. Coat bottom portion in red/pink sprinkles, and dip top in green to make it look like a strawberry. You may need to wash your hands several times to keep them from getting gloppy. If you prefer, use green frosting instead of green sprinkles for a stem. My mother uses almond slivers dyed green with food coloring (too messy, even for me!).

Store in a sealed container, separated by layers of wax paper if necessary. The candies can sit out for long periods, but it's best to store them in the refrigerator.

When Emma had one of these this year, she eyed me suspiciously and said, "Sweeeet. This is NOT healthy. Please can I have another one?"