Coconut Strawberries

14 oz pkg coconut
½ cup almonds
6 ozs strawberry gelatin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
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red granulated sugar
green toothpicks, broken in half
construction paper leaves

[Place several drops of red liquid food coloring in about ½ cup sugar and stir until sugar is evenly colored deep pink. Break natural wood toothpicks in half and drop in bowl of shallow water which has been heavily colored with green liquid food coloring. Allow to stand 10-15 minutes; drain; place on paper towels to dry.]

Rough-chop coconut in food processor. Grind almonds in food processor. Combine all ingredients in a bowl;this is most easily, quickly, and thoroughly done with your hands.

Use approximately 1¼ tablespoons of mixture to make each strawberry. Form into a ball, then pinch one side to form the elongated part of the strawberry. Roll in red colored sugar.

Press the sharp end of a green half toothpick through the center of a green construction paper leaf. Press the toothpick-leaf combo into the bulbous end of the strawberry.

Note: While forming strawberries from coconut mixture, it's an enormous help to keep a damp paper towel at your side, wipe your hands after each strawberry, and rinse the paper towel as needed. Otherwise, you'll develop a build-up of the coconut mixture on the palms of your hands, and you won't be able to roll the balls.

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