Treat me: Tropical bumble bees

I always think November is the unofficial start of school gala season. The great Kiwi gala is as close as we get to the sort of church fete celebrated in so many English books. There are stalls full of baking, 'jumble', plants and books. There are be auctions run by round men in loud shirts with even louder voices, barbecues loaded with dubious sausages and persistent types selling raffle tickets.

I love galas, which is why I suggested the Small Girl's nursery have one for a fundraising venture. Then they started talking about the organising committee, at which point I suddenly became very busy and wearing a disguise to town. Then I realised that if I wanted to go to the gala, I'd better contribute. So on Sunday, whatever the weather, I'll be manning the baking stall. Not only does this mean I've escaped supervising the rock painting activity, it means I'll be able to buy back these tasty little morsels.

Tropical Bumble Bees
These are just the thing to whip up when you need to supply a stall with sweet treats in a hurry. They're chewy, soft and crunchy all at once - and if you include chocolate in the mixture there's a high chance of biting into a melted nugget.

1 397g tin of condensed milk
2 cups (200g) dessicated coconut
2 cups (320g) dried fruit - a mixture of dried pineapple, papaya, crystallised ginger, raisins, cranberries
100g dark chocolate, chopped - optional
1 1/2 cups (150g) long-thread coconut

Heat the oven to 170C and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Put the long-thread coconut in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Pour the condensed milk into a bowl and add the dessicated coconut, dried fruit and chocolate. Mix well. Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls, then roll these in the long-thread coconut.
Place on the tray and bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Leave on a rack to cool, then store in an airtight container.

Have a great weekend, everyone. If you've got a great Kiwi baking classic suitable for a gala, the shearers or a 'ladies a plate' event, then join in this month's Sweet New Zealand. This is a bit of blogging fun dreamed up by the lovely Alessandra Zecchini.
The rules are simple:

1. This event is open to all bloggers living in New Zealand (even if you are not a Kiwi), as well as all Kiwi bloggers living and blogging overseas.
2. You can enter anything sweet: cakes, biscuits, slices, desserts, even drinks, and you may submit as many entries as you like, including old posts if you like.
3. Your entry must contain the phrase Sweet New Zealand, the Sweet New Zealand badge (choose your own size), a link to the host, and to this post - so if you are submitting an older post remember to update it accordingly.
4. Then, come back and add your post to the linky thing below. Tweet me when you're done (using the tag #SweetNewZealand), if Twitter is your thing, and I'll spread the word. If linky things and Twitter are too hard, leave a comment on this post and I'll come and find you. You have until November 28.

And if you fancy some gala fun in Wellington on Sunday, head to Owen St, Newtown, where it will be all on for young and old (including rock painting).

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