A crimped, pinch-edged pastry shell filled with grated coconut stewed in brown sugar, ginger and nutmeg, baked until the filling is sticky and the crust is crisp.
Also known as "pinch-me-round" for its distinctive crimped rim, gizzada is thought to descend from the Portuguese word guisada, carried to Jamaica by Sephardic Jews fleeing the Inquisition in the 1500s. Affordable and sweet, it became a beloved street and bakery treat in coconut-rich rural communities.
A buttery, crumbly shell gives way to a chewy, caramel-sweet coconut center warmed by ginger and nutmeg. Each bite balances crisp pastry against sticky, fragrant filling.
Stewing the coconut in brown sugar syrup until thick concentrates the sugars so the filling sets to a chewy, glossy texture as it cools. Rubbing cold butter into the flour creates flaky layers that crisp in the oven.
Variations
Coconut gizzada, mini gizzada, spiced gizzada with cinnamon
On the Palate
Where Gizzada sits in the Jamaican flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12
How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 110 min
Make a short pastry by rubbing cold butter into flour with a little sugar and salt, then bind with cold water.
Watch outRub the cold butter into the flour just until it looks like coarse crumbs — overwork it or let it warm and the crust bakes hard instead of flaky.
- 215 min
Chill the dough, then roll out and cut into circles.
- 310 min
Pinch the edges of each circle upward to form a crimped, star-like shell.
- 415 min
Stew grated coconut with brown sugar, water, grated ginger, nutmeg and a little vanilla until thick.
Watch outStew the coconut and sugar until thick and sticky, pulling away from the pan — too loose and the filling never sets in the shell.
- 55 min
Spoon the sweet coconut filling into each pastry shell.
- 620 min
Arrange on a baking tray and bake at 180C until the crust is golden.
Watch outPull them when the crust is golden — pale means underbaked and soft, too dark means bitter.
- 730 min
Cool until the filling sets and turns glossy and sticky.
Watch outLet them cool completely before moving them — the filling only firms up to that chewy, glossy set once cold.
- 81 min
Serve at room temperature as a snack or dessert.
