Coconut Buns (Chinese Cocktail Buns) are one of my favourite Chinese bakery items. Along with egg tarts, swiss roll cakes, pineapple buns, wife cakes…. and the list goes on. I love my carbs!
WHAT ARE COCKTAIL BUNS?
The name “cocktail buns” is literally the English translation from Chinese, “gai mei bao,” or “cock/chicken-tail-bun.”
They sweet buns originated from Hong Kong in the 1950s, alongside other bakery items such as pineapple buns (bo lor bao).
Originally, the filling for the cocktail buns were made by blending day-old buns and sugar, as a way to avoid wasting buns that were still perfectly edible.
However, modern day cocktail buns have strayed away from using old buns in the filling.
WHAT ARE IN COCONUT COCKTAIL BUNS?
Coconut Cocktail Buns have you guessed it… coconut!
They are a baked, soft rectangular yeasted bun with a filling of:
- shredded coconut
- sugar
- butter
The bun itself is slightly sweet, with a topping of butter and sugar, as well as sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Egg wash makes the buns nice and golden brown, and a final sugar syrup glaze adds some shine and sweetness.
HOW TO MAKE COCONUT COCKTAIL BUNS
There are 4 components to the cocktail buns:
- coconut filling
- bun dough
- butter topping
- sugar glaze
FIRST, MAKE THE COCONUT FILLING
My coconut cocktail buns have the perfect ratio of filling to bun. I find that many recipes have a stingy amount of filling. You won’t have that problem with my recipe. Every bite will have the perfect amount of coconut goodness.
I personally use the thin dried coconut flakes, but you can use the larger flakes. It won’t matter too much since we’ll blitz them slightly in a coffee grinder.
Note: If you use sweetened coconut flakes, be sure to decrease the amount of sugar by a bit.
Once the coconut flakes are ground up (not too finely), add that to a bowl, along with the beaten egg, sugar, butter, coconut and vanilla extract.
For a matcha version: Add matcha powder to the coconut flakes, egg, sugar, butter, coconut and vanilla extract.
Give the mixture a stir to combine, and then cover with a lid.
Place into the fridge to firm up, about 20-30 minutes.
Divide the filling into 12 equal portions.
MAKE THE BUN DOUGH
Make the tangzhong first by combining bread flour and water in a small saucepan. (If you don’t have bread flour, all-purpose will work).
Bring a low simmer and constantly whisk until the mixture becomes gluey and paste-like.
Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, combine the warm coconut milk with the active dry yeast and let it foam up and become bubbly.
In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, egg, oil, tangzhong and the yeast mixture and knead until the dough becomes shiny and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it double in size.
MAKE THE BUTTER TOPPING
For the topping, combine the butter, cake flour, and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Transfer the mixture into a small piping bag, fitted with a round tip.
Place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes if the butter mixture oozes a bit and is too warm.
Note: If you don’t have salted butter, you can use unsalted butter, just add a little pinch of salt.
ASSEMBLE THE BUNS
Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
Roll the dough out into a long oval about 6″ in length and 2″ wide.
Place a portion of coconut filling along the centre of the dough, leaving a small border on each side.
Pinch the long edge seam together and tuck in the ends.
Place the buns seam-side down on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Repeat with the remainder.
Cover the buns with a slightly damp cloth and let them rise in a warm location, until slightly puffy.
BAKE THE BUNS
Preheat oven to 350F.
Once the buns have risen, make an egg wash by beating 1 egg in a small bowl.
Lightly brush the tops of the buns with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Squeeze two “lines” of butter topping (about 1″ from both the top and bottom edges) on the buns.
Bake the buns at 350F for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden in colour.
MAKE THE SUGAR GLAZE
Combine 1 Tbsp of water with 1 Tbsp of sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Remove the buns from the oven and use a clean pastry brush to brush the top of each bun with the sugar glaze.
Turn off the oven and pop the buns back into the oven for 1-2 minutes to set the sugar glaze.
Remove the buns from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT COCONUT BUNS
These Coconut Buns are best enjoyed fresh and slightly warm out of the oven.
Store the buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Alternatively, you can individually wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months.
To reheat, microwave the buns for approximately 1 minute, 30 seconds until heated through.
A CHINESE BAKERY CLASSIC
These buns are sweet, soft, and full of coconut flavour. Even though it has many components, it’s truly such a treat to make at home!
If you liked these buns, be sure to check out my other Chinese bakery-style recipes:
Let me know if you try out the recipe — tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below! I love seeing your re-creations!
Coconut Buns (Chinese Cocktail Buns)
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Coconut Filling:
- 100 g dried coconut flakes
- 80 g beaten egg
- 80 g granulated sugar
- 40 g unsalted butter room temp
- ¼ tsp coconut extract
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
- 20 g matcha if using
Bun Dough:
Tangzhong
- 25 g bread flour (or all-purpose)
- 120 ml water
Dough:
- 120 ml coconut milk or whole milk, warmed
- 5 g active dry yeast
- 330 g all-purpose flour
- 40 g granulated cane sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg + extra for egg wash
- 40 ml oil
Butter Topping:
- 35 g salted butter room temp
- 25 g cake flour
- 15 g powdered sugar
Garnish:
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
Sugar Glaze:
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 Tbsp granulated cane sugar
Instructions
Make the coconut filling:
- Add the coconut flakes to a coffee grinder and blitz a few times, until it's ground up. (Be careful not to over pulse).
- Combine the coconut flakes with the beaten egg, sugar, butter, coconut and vanilla extract.
- If making a matcha version: add matcha powder to the coconut flakes, egg, sugar, butter, coconut and vanilla extract.
- Give the mixture a stir to combine, and then cover with a lid.
- Place into the fridge to firm up, about 20-30 minutes.
- Divide the filling into 12 equal portions.
Make the bun dough:
- First, make the tangzhong by combining 25g flour and 120ml water in a small saucepan.
- Bring a low simmer over medium heat and constantly whisk until the mixture becomes gluey and paste-like.
- Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- In a bowl, combine the warm coconut milk with the active dry yeast and let it foam up and become bubbly.
- In a stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, sugar, salt, egg, oil, tangzhong and the yeast mixture and knead until the dough becomes shiny and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it double in size in a warm location.
Make the butter topping:
- Combine the butter, cake flour, and powdered sugar in a small bowl and give it a mix.
- Transfer the mixture into a small piping bag, fitted with a round tip.
- Place it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes if the butter mixture oozes a bit and is too warm.
- Note: If you don’t have salted butter, you can use unsalted butter, just add a little pinch of salt.
Assemble the buns:
- Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
- Roll the dough out into a long oval about 6″ in length and 2″ wide.
- Place a portion of coconut filling along the centre of the dough, leaving a small border on each side.
- Pinch the long edge seam together and tuck in the ends.
- Place the buns seam-side down on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Repeat with the remainder.
- Cover the buns with a slightly damp cloth and let them rise in a warm location, until slightly puffy.
Bake the buns:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Once the buns have risen, make an egg wash by beating 1 egg in a small bowl.
- Lightly brush the tops of the buns with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Squeeze two “lines” of butter topping (about 1″ from both the top and bottom edges) on the buns.
- Bake the buns at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, until lightly golden in colour.
Make the sugar glaze:
- Combine 1 Tbsp of water with 1 Tbsp of sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Remove the buns from the oven and use a clean pastry brush to brush the top of each bun with the sugar glaze.
- Turn off the oven and pop the buns back into the oven for 1-2 minutes to set the sugar glaze.
- Remove the buns from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool.
- Enjoy the freshly made buns.
These really remind me of the good old days when I would go with my mom to the Chinese bakery! Just delicious!
These buns sure hold a lot of nostalgia! Thanks Christie! 🙂
One of my favorite activities whenever we travel is to stop by a local bakery and just look at all of the treats – I always find new things that I want to try! I haven’t had the opportunity to visit a Chinese bakery, but I know these coconut cocktail buns would be on the list of things I need to try. They look amazing!
I agree, local bakeries are such gemstones! You’ll have to try out these buns one day, David! 🙂
Love all the details! Plus, they look like a real treat! I love love love coconut so I know these would be devoured in no time at all 😉
Thanks Dawn! They are definitely delicious! 🙂
Hi
Looks very tempting and delicious. Can you please tell me at what stage is the egg added for the filling? I cant seem to see it in the instructions:)
The egg is added in with the coconut flakes, butter, and sugar mixture.
These are beautiful little buns, Michelle! I have never had anything like this but I already know I’d certainly enjoy it!
Thanks Katherine! They’re such a Chinese bakery classic, you’d love them for sure! 🙂
So beautiful ! So pinned !
Thank you so much! 🙂
These coconut buns look so soft and delicious!
I just made this recipe and could add 2 items of interest:
1. I couldn’t find where in the recipe to add the Tangzhong and forgot about it until I realized the dough was not coming together properly.
2. For the bun topping, I ended up melting the butter as room temperature butter was not allowing the filling to come together smoothly.
Hi Michelle,
Great recipe! I tried the recipe, but my buns didn’t come out quite as fluffy as I would have liked, any suggestions? Does this mean I under/over kneaded the dough?
Hi Rob, did you make any substitutions to the recipe? Doughs with tangzhong quite reliably produce a soft and fluffy dough. An under-kneaded dough and under-proved dough could your issue.
My kids are very excited to try this recipe! We’ve moved to Europe from the US and definitely miss our trips to the Chinese bakery. However, I don’t have a stand mixer here. Any recommendations on how long we should knead the dough by hand?
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic; when you pinch off a small piece of the dough, it should stretch and form a small “windowpane.” (Meaning that it can stretch without tearing). That’s when you know the dough is ready to go. Hope that helps.
What is the secret to sealing the buns. I think they are sealed and on the second rise some of the filling oozes out. They are fantastic and I don’t want to loose the buttery filling.
Try to pinch the seams of the dough really tightly. Some of the filling may ooze out (especially if your kitchen is really warm) — you could add an additional 1 Tbsp of flour to the filling to help prevent future leakage. Hope that helps.
I just made some cocktail buns with tangzhong, I like the soft bread and they remain soft after three days.
Those buns are just gorgeous! I’ve never tried them, but I’m always anxious to try recipes from different cultures than my own.
Oh my god, this bun recipe reminds me of my childhood. Coconut in a sweet bread bun was the best. I must try this recipe. Save it for the coming weekend. Can’t wait to try.
I know these coconut buns must be fabulous because they look so good on the list of things I need to try
My dad started taking us to dim sum in the late 60s. We thought it was so fun to watch the trolleys come over loaded with all sorts of delicious tidbits! My favorite has always been the char siu bao. I’ll bet these are just as fantastic!
These buns sound amazing. So perfect for a spring brunch.
Hello, can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour for the dough ingredients?
Yes you can absolutely use bread flour.