Tres Leches de Coco (Coconut Tres Leches Cake)

Tres leches is typically topped with mounds of whipped cream, but this one gets a toasted marshmallow cap with bits of bronzed and toasted coconut.

Islas Flotantes de Coco (Coconut Floating Islands)

Though some recipes call for baking the meringues and then slipping them into the custard, I follow the more traditional route and poach them. A bite reveals that these islands are rather more like clouds.

Coco Bread

These buttery, tender, and lightly sweet Jamaican breads are the perfect vehicle for a beef patty, fried fish fillet, or just a slathering of sweet butter.

The Best Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, coconutty all the way through, coconut macaroons are what cemented my coconut love many years ago. This recipe is my updated version, developed through dozens of tests to perfect the texture, flavor, and appearance.

Coconut-Palm Sugar Ice Cream

Palm sugar lends a soft caramel flavor with a tinge of butterscotch that makes this ice cream special. Add coconut milk, eggs, and pandan to the team and we've got a combination of flavors that South East Asians have enjoyed for ages.

Lazy Daisy Coconut Oatmeal Cake

This moist oatmeal snack cake is topped with a brown sugar and coconut icing that's broiled right on top.

Coconut Mango Upside Down Cake

Bake the mangos under the coconut batter, then flip it out to reveal one beauty of a moist and juicy cake.

Coconut Layer Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Notes: I prefer Coco López brand cream of coconut for this recipe. Cream of coconut tends to separate. Prior to using, place it in a bowl and whisk it until smooth. If you don't have three 9-inch round cake pans,...

Alfajores Con Cajeta (Vanilla Shortbread With Goat's-Milk Toffee)

Flecked with vanilla seeds throughout the dough, alfajores are the perfect excuse to whip up a batch of vanilla bean cajeta—a goat's-milk variation on dulce de leche. The combination of sticky toffee sauce and buttery shortbread can't be beat, but it can be improved upon. My recipe replaces traditional cornstarch with tapioca starch, keeping the alfajores tender and light.

Arroz Con Coco (Colombian Coconut Rice)

At its core, arroz con coco is a pilaf—rice grains toasted in oil before being steamed, but in this case the oil comes directly from coconut milk. You start by dumping a can of coconut milk in a pot, and slowly boiling it off until all of the water content is removed, the coconut oil breaks out, and the solids begin to brown. From there, it's a slow process of stirring and toasting until they are a deep, crunchy golden brown before finally adding sugar, salt, and rice.