Olho-de-Sogra

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2-liter saucepan
• •Silicone spatula
• •Butter-greased plate
• •Small knife or teaspoon
• •Small paper candy cups

Instructions

1. 1

   Open the prunes

   Check each prune and remove any stray pit pieces, because teeth are not kitchen tools. With your fingers or a small knife, open each prune along its natural slit without cutting it in half. You want a little pocket, dark and glossy, that can hold the coconut filling instead of two sad flaps.

2. 2

   Cook the beijinho

   Put the condensed milk, shredded coconut, butter, coconut milk, and salt in a heavy small pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and corners, until the mixture thickens, turns glossy, and pulls away from the pan in one soft mass, about 10 to 12 minutes. This is the ponto. Too early and it slumps out of the prunes. Too late and it turns chewy in the wrong way.

   Medium-low heat is not timidity, it's control. Condensed milk burns fast on the bottom, and burnt milk tastes bitter through the whole batch.
3. 3

   Cool the filling

   Scrape the beijinho onto a buttered plate and spread it into a shallow layer. Let it cool until just firm and comfortable to touch, about 15 minutes. Cooling matters because warm filling sticks to your hands and slides around; cool filling rolls cleanly and behaves like it has manners.

4. 4

   Shape the centers

   Lightly butter your hands, pinch off about 1 teaspoon of beijinho, and roll it into a small oval. It should be soft but hold its shape. If it smears everywhere, wait a few more minutes. If it cracks, you cooked it too far, so press it together gently and keep going. We don't throw away dinner's little cousin over drama.

5. 5

   Stuff the prunes

   Tuck one coconut oval into each opened prune and press the prune gently around it, leaving a pale stripe of filling showing. That contrast is the whole look: dark fruit, white coconut, a little shine. Press, don't squeeze, or the filling will bulge out like it is trying to escape the family party.

6. 6

   Sugar and set

   Roll only the exposed coconut filling lightly in granulated sugar, then place each sweet in a paper cup. Let them rest for at least 20 minutes before serving so the filling firms and the prune settles around it. They should be glossy, neat, and easy to pick up with two fingers.

Chef Tips

• •Buy soft, pitted prunes that look plump and dark, not dry and dusty. If yours are stiff, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes, then dry them very well. Wet prunes make slippery sweets.
• •Use unsweetened shredded coconut. The condensed milk is already sweet enough, and sweetened coconut can push the whole thing into toothache territory.
• •The honest shortcut: buy pitted prunes. Good. That's saving time. The bad shortcut is powdered coconut dessert mix pretending to be beijinho. No. A pan and real coconut are faster than unlearning that taste.
• •Make them the day before. Festa sweets like a little rest, and you like not panicking with sticky hands while people arrive.
• •If the filling gets too firm to shape, knead a tiny dot of butter into it with greased hands. Tiny means tiny. Don't turn it into lotion.

Advance Preparation

• •The beijinho filling can be cooked up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before shaping.
• •Finished olho-de-sogra keeps for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving so the prune softens and the coconut tastes creamy.
• •For a festa table, shape them the day before and store in paper cups inside a covered container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 30g)