Coconut Candy

30 vanilla wafers
5 cups coconut, shredded
4 tablespoons water
4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
Red food coloring

Grease an 8-inch square pan and line it with the wafers. In a blender, grind the shredded coconut with 4 tablespoons water into a fine paste.

In a large pot, combine sugar, 2 cups of the water and the cinnamon stick. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until sugar dissolves. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes to wash down sugar crystals from the sides of the pan. Uncover; continue cooking to the soft ball stage (234 degrees F) or until syrup forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from cold water.

Remove from the heat and mix in the ground coconut. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until the mixture forms a paste. Divide in half. Add a few drops of red food coloring to one portion and leave the other white. Fill the pan half full with the white coconut mixture and then top with the pink coconut mixture. Let cool in a dry covered container for 1 day. Slice into approximately 6 x 2-inch shapes. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a dry container until ready to eat. This will keep up to 4 weeks. Makes four 6-inch rectangles.