Bala Baiana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2-liter saucepan for the coconut filling
• •Heavy narrow 1.5 to 2-liter saucepan for the caramel
• •Silicone spatula
• •Candy thermometer, strongly recommended
• •Silicone mat or lightly greased parchment
• •Baking sheet
• •Toothpicks, wooden skewers, or two forks
• •Small bowl of cold water for syrup testing

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the station

   Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat, or use parchment lightly greased with neutral oil or butter. Set out a buttered plate for the filling, a small bowl of cold water for testing the syrup, and toothpicks or two forks for dipping. Do this before the sugar goes on the heat, because caramel gives you no time to search for parchment while it thickens in the pan.

2. 2

   Cook the filling

   Put the condensed milk, coconut, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and corners, until the mixture thickens, pulls away from the pan, and falls from the spatula in a heavy mound, about 12 to 15 minutes with dried coconut or 18 to 22 minutes with fresh coconut. This point matters because a soft filling leaks through the caramel and turns dipping into comedy no one asked for.

   Fresh coconut gives the best perfume and bite, but it carries more water. Cook it a few minutes longer and trust the pan, not the clock.
3. 3

   Cool and roll

   Scrape the filling onto the buttered plate, spread it into a shallow layer, and let it cool to room temperature. Chill for 30 minutes, then grease your hands and roll the filling into 24 balls, about 2 teaspoons each. Put them back on the lined tray and chill for another 30 minutes, or freeze for 10 minutes. Cold, firm balls survive the hot syrup; warm ones slump and slide off the fork.

4. 4

   Start the syrup

   Put the sugar, water, and vinegar in a heavy, narrow saucepan. Stir only at the beginning, just to wet the sugar, then bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, stop stirring. If sugar sticks to the side of the pan, brush it down with a wet pastry brush or gently tilt the pan. Stirring after the boil throws crystals back into the syrup, and crystals make a cloudy, sandy shell.

5. 5

   Find ponto de vidro

   Cook the syrup until it reaches 150 to 155°C (300 to 310°F) and turns a pale honey amber. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a little syrup into the bowl of cold water: it should harden at once into a brittle thread that snaps, not bends. This is ponto de vidro. Too soon and the shell stays sticky; too far and the caramel tastes bitter.

6. 6

   Dip the candies

   Turn the heat to very low, or turn it off if your pan holds heat well. Skewer one chilled coconut ball, dip it fully into the syrup, lift it out, and let the extra caramel run back into the pan for a second before setting it on the lined tray. Work quickly but calmly. A thin shell is enough; a thick shell is hard to bite and hides the coconut instead of protecting it.

   Hot sugar sticks to skin and burns badly. No bare fingers, no tasting from the spoon, and no children doing the dipping. If the syrup thickens before you finish, warm it gently for 20 to 30 seconds.
7. 7

   Set and serve

   Let the candies sit at room temperature until the shells are fully hard, about 20 minutes. Twist out the toothpicks if you used them, or move the candies into small paper cups with a thin spatula. Keep them in a cool, dry place. The refrigerator makes caramel sweat, and a sweaty bala baiana sticks to everything like it's trying to prove a point.

Chef Tips

• •Coco ralado na hora is the best version, because it tastes like coconut instead of a memory of coconut. The honest shortcut is unsweetened finely shredded dried coconut. The cost is a slightly firmer filling and less perfume, but it still works.
• •Do not fix weak coconut with coconut-flavored powder. That's perfume from a packet, not flavor. Buy a real coconut when you can, or use plain dried coconut when a Tuesday is a Tuesday.
• •A candy thermometer is not cheating. It's a ruler for sugar. Use it until your eyes and ears learn the syrup, then keep using it anyway because sugar is fast and arrogant.
• •Humidity is the enemy of the shell. If the day is rainy and heavy, make the filling ahead and dip when the kitchen is drier. The caramel will stay clearer and less sticky.
• •Use white granulated sugar for the shell. Brown sugar brings molasses, which tastes good elsewhere but clouds the coating here and makes the ponto harder to read.

Advance Preparation

• •The coconut filling can be cooked up to 2 days ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, then roll it cold.
• •Rolled, undipped coconut balls can chill for 24 hours before dipping. Keep them covered so they don't dry out.
• •Dipped bala baiana is best the day it's made, but it keeps up to 2 days in a cool, dry room. Separate layers with parchment and avoid the refrigerator unless your kitchen is very hot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 35g)