Ölmühle Solling Coconut Blossom Sugar. Organic brown sugar from the nectar of the coconut palm – caramel-like, malty, and with light roasted notes.

Ölmühle Solling Coconut Blossom Sugar is a natural, unrefined organic sugar from the blossom nectar of the coconut palm. It comes from small-scale farmers on Java in Indonesia and reaches us via the Ölmühle Solling in Boffzen on the Weser. Content 350 g, the only ingredient is organic coconut blossom sugar.

Coconut blossom sugar from Ölmühle Solling has nothing to do with the flesh of the coconut. It is produced higher up on the palm, on the flower stalks. When a flower stalk is scored, a sweet nectar emerges. The farmers collect this sap, boil it down until it thickens, and let it crystallize. The result is a granular, brown sugar. According to the manufacturer, it is not refined afterwards; it remains exactly as it comes out of the vat. That is why it has its own color and distinct flavor, quite different from white table sugar. Incidentally, it barely tastes like coconut, but rather like caramel. In many Southeast Asian countries, this type of palm sugar has long been a common kitchen ingredient, and more and more people here are discovering it for pastries and drinks.

Taste

According to the manufacturer, the sugar has a caramel-like sweetness with malty and light roasted notes. Try a few crystals pure from the tip of your finger: first comes the sweetness, then a warm tone like light caramel, and finally a hint of malt.

This depth of flavor makes the difference. It goes wonderfully in coffee and cocoa, and just as well in pastries with cinnamon, nuts, or chocolate. A plum cake with crumble topping also gets a darker, spicier note from it. Anyone looking for a completely neutral sugar, perhaps for a delicate lemon sorbet, will find the caramel tone too strong. In that case, white sugar is the better choice.

Usage

According to the manufacturer, it replaces conventional sugar in a one-to-one ratio. You can therefore add it directly to your usual recipes. It fits in muesli and yogurt, in coffee, tea, smoothies, and homemade lemonade. When baking, it adds a slight caramel note to banana bread, oat cookies, apple cake, or brownies.

It also has its place in savory cooking. The manufacturer mentions Asian and oriental dishes. A pinch rounds off a Thai curry, a peanut sauce, or a marinade for chicken. In dressings, it balances the acidity of lime or vinegar. For a quick dressing, stir together lime juice, soy sauce, a teaspoon of the brown sugar, and a little oil.

Our tip: Sprinkle a thin layer of the sugar over rice pudding or crème brûlée and caramelize it briefly with a torch. The caramel crust tastes of malt and roasting.

Origin

According to the manufacturer, the sugar comes from small-scale farmers on the Indonesian island of Java. The nectar is harvested there by hand every day. The farmers boil it down on the same day and bring it to crystallize. The organic logo indicates non-EU agriculture and the control body DE-ÖKO-039.

Ölmühle Solling lists the sugar as part of its coconut range, which according to the factsheet includes 17 specialties. The founding Baensch family was active in Southeast Asia, among other places, before 1996, and lasting trade partnerships emerged from this. The mill has been based in Boffzen in the Weser Uplands since 2008, directly on the Weser near Holzminden. There is also a mill shop there with a display garden.

For whom

This sugar is for you if you want to play with the flavor of sweetness when baking and cooking. Coffee drinkers who like their cappuccino with a caramel note will get their money's worth, as will fans of Asian cuisine. According to the list of ingredients, it contains none of the 14 main allergens. Store the pack in a cool, dark place and keep it tightly sealed. For baking recipes with coconut, the Organic Shredded Coconut is a good fit, and for cookies, the Partially Defatted Almond Flour. You can find everything else on our page about Ölmühle Solling. It is not suitable as a substitute for sweetener, because coconut blossom sugar is and remains sugar.

A caramel-like organic sugar from small-scale farmers on Java – for coffee, cakes, and curries with depth.

Image credit: Ölmühle Solling/Maike Wittreck