Cocadas (Bolivian Coconut Candies)

"Cocadas are a typical coconut candy or cookie that is served in Mexico, Brazil and over much of Latin America. They are oven baked but are served at room temperature to obtain their chewy and soft texture. Made with egg and shredded coconut, cocadas come in a variety of colors due to the modern use of food coloring, but the traditional ones are golden brown. They are often garnished with almonds, either whole or chopped. There are hundreds of recipes for cocadas which range in texture from the typical hard, very sweet balls to those which are almost the texture of flan. Other fruit, often dried, can be added to the cocadas to create variety. Cocadas are mentioned as early as 1878 in Peru. This is a Bolivian version, from the website BoliviaWeb. In Colombia, cocadas are sold on the streets, and particularly on the beaches, by women who carry them on large aluminum trays"
 
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photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
photo by Baby Kato
photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
photo by Dreamer in Ontario photo by Dreamer in Ontario
Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
5
Yields:
24 candies
Serves:
24
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ingredients

  • 2 23 cups shredded coconut
  • 34 cup condensed milk
  • 1 egg
  • 14 teaspoon almond essence
  • butter, to coat baking sheet (or cooking spray can be used, such as PAM)
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directions

  • In a bowl, mix shredded coconut, egg, condensed milk, and almond essence until everything is well mixed.
  • Let rest for two or three minutes.
  • Spread butter on a baking sheet to coat.
  • Using two teaspoons, put small amounts of the mixture in the baking sheet.
  • Bake at medium temperature (European oven: 163 Celsius degrees; American oven: 325 Fahrenheit degrees) for 25 minutes or until they are golden, dry and smooth at the same time.
  • Yields 24 regular-size coconut candies.

Questions & Replies

  1. Do you use fresh coconut or dried coconut? Can you use either?
     
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Reviews

  1. These little delights remind me more of macaroons than candy but they are delicious no matter what they're called. I baked mine 30 minutes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Made for ZWT7
     
  2. These are addictive and dangerous! Caramelized and crunchy on the bottom but chewy throughout. Right now I'm looking out of the corner of my eye at the rest of them that are on the cooling rack trying to decide how many I can get away with eating. I may add a little extra almond essence next time. Divine! Delightful! Thank you for posting! Reviewed for ZWT - 7.
     
  3. i followed the recipe step by step and the cocadas came out horrible. look nasty and tasted dried. I would not recommend it.
     
  4. Wow, we loved the cruchy, caramelized bottoms of these cookies, this was the icing on the cookie so to speak for the both of us. I adore toasted coconut cookies and these were perfection, rich, moist, crunchy, chewy, carmalized and full of coconut. Quick and really easy to make. They taste better than the macaroons you buy at the pastry shop. I will be making these for a long time to come. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe FloridaNative. Made for ZWT7 for Witchin Kitchen.
     
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