Beijinho de Coco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium heavy saucepan, about 2 liters
• •Silicone spatula
• •Small tray
• •Parchment paper
• •Shallow bowl for rolling

Instructions

1. 1

   Set up first

   Line a small tray with parchment and put the extra 1/2 cup coconut in a shallow bowl. Open the paper cups if you're using them. Do this before the pan goes on the heat, because once the doce reaches ponto, you don't want to abandon it while you go hunting for tiny cups in a drawer.

   Tiny paper cups are optional, but useful for parties. They keep the sweets neat, and neat is different from fussy. We are not building a tower here.
2. 2

   Start the mixture

   Put the condensed milk, 1 cup shredded coconut, butter, and salt in a medium heavy saucepan. Stir with a silicone spatula until the coconut is evenly wet and the butter starts to melt. The salt is small, but it matters, because it keeps the sweet from tasting flat.

3. 3

   Cook to ponto

   Set the pan over medium-low heat and stir constantly, scraping the bottom and corners, until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the pan, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drag the spatula through the middle: if it shows the bottom clearly for a second before closing, you're there. Keep the heat gentle so the milk sugars thicken instead of scorching into brown specks.

   If the mixture bubbles hard, lower the heat. Beijinho should thicken patiently. Violent bubbling means the bottom is cooking faster than the top, and that is how good coconut becomes burnt coconut.
4. 4

   Cool the doce

   Scrape the mixture onto the prepared tray and spread it into a shallow mound. Let it cool until just barely warm, about 40 to 45 minutes. Warm enough to shape is fine; hot enough to stick to everything is not. Cooling firms the condensed milk so the balls hold their shape instead of slumping like they gave up.

5. 5

   Roll the beijinhos

   Lightly butter your hands, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the mixture, and roll it into a small ball. Drop it into the bowl of coconut and turn it until coated all over. The butter keeps the doce from grabbing your palms, and the coconut coating gives each piece that soft, snowy outside without needing any nonsense.

6. 6

   Crown with clove

   Set each beijinho in a paper cup or on the tray, then press one whole clove gently into the top. Press only enough for it to stand, not so hard that the ball cracks. The clove perfumes the coconut while the sweets rest, but warn people it's there if you're serving children. Some people eat around it, some pull it out. Both survive.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Let the finished beijinhos sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving, or chill them if your kitchen is hot. They should be tender, creamy, and hold their round shape when lifted. If they're for a party tomorrow, cover them well and refrigerate, then bring them back toward room temperature before the table. Cold condensed-milk sweets taste tighter than they should.

Chef Tips

• •Use unsweetened shredded coconut. Sweetened coconut plus condensed milk is where sugar goes to shout. The doce should be sweet, yes, but it still needs to taste like coconut.
• •Finely shredded coconut rolls more neatly than long flakes. Big flakes look pretty until they fall off everywhere, then you have a birthday table wearing a coconut sweater.
• •Dried coconut is the honest shortcut. Fresh grated coconut tastes fuller, but dried works beautifully if it's fresh and fragrant. Coconut-flavored powder is not a shortcut, it's perfume in a bag.
• •Keep the heat medium-low and scrape the corners of the pan. Most burned beijinho starts where the spatula didn't reach. I learned this with a pan I pretended was soaking for two days.
• •For a spoonable party version, stop cooking a little earlier, when the path from the spatula closes more quickly, and spoon into small cups. Same flavor, softer texture, less rolling.

Advance Preparation

• •Beijinhos can be made 2 days ahead. Store covered in the refrigerator, then let them sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
• •The cooked mixture can cool on the tray for up to 2 hours before rolling, as long as the kitchen is not very hot.
• •Rolled beijinhos keep well in an airtight container for 4 days in the refrigerator. Add the cloves after rolling, not days later, so the coconut has time to take on their scent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)