Here's some trivia for you: European explorers who "discovered" coconut trees during their Pacific Island adventures, named the coconut after the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco meaning "head" or "skull", thinking of the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. What's more, the quintessential food you think of when you think of living on a desert island, the coconut isn't actually a nut at all. [It's a drupe.]
Coconuts are used for lots of different culinary purposes. The seed provides oil for frying, cooking, and is a current favorite of "healthy living" proponents. The coconut meat is used fresh or dried in cooking confections and desserts like macaroons. Dried coconut and coconut milk make frequent appearances in curries and other savory dishes. There is even a coconut flour for use in gluten-free baking.
For those occasions when you don't want the texture of coconut in your recipe, or if you do, but want to boost the tropical flavor of the dish, Coconut Extract is the solution to your cooking conundrum. Coconut Extract brings the taste and aroma of fresh coconuts by the teaspoonful. Use it to enhance cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, chocolate desserts, ice cream, pies, pudding, and more.
For any recipe that calls for Vanilla Extract, you can substitute Coconut Extract - it pairs especially well with chocolate treats, and with fruit dishes. Use Coconut Extract for baking breads, in savory main dishes and sophisticated desserts, to enhance beverages, on and in ice cream, and to flavor homemade syrups, dressings and sauces.