“Beijinho” (“little kiss”) is a coconut sweet made with sweetened condensed milk and shaped as a small ball. It is one of the famous “docinhos de Leite Moça” that made their first appearance in the middle of the 20Th Century. They soon became popular and they are a must at children’s parties in Brazil.
The others classics “docinhos de Leite Moça” are “brigadeiro” (chocolate flavour), “olho de sogra” (pitted prune and coconut), “cajuzinho” (cashew flavour) and “camafeu de nozes” (walnut flavour).
You can add to the dough a little food coloring if you want to shape the dough into little fruits, animals and mushrooms. “Olho de sogra” is filled with “beijinhos” dough.
Ingredients
• 100 g dry grated coconut
• 400 g sweetened condensed milk
• 1 egg yolk
• dry grated coconut to garnish
Preparation method
- Combine all ingredients (except the dry grated coconut to garnish) in a thick bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the it thickens and “loosens” from the bottom of pan. It takes about 10 minutes for a single recipe.
- Pour the hot mixture in a buttered plate and let it cool.
- Grease your hands with butter, take a small teaspoon of dough, shape it in your hand to form little balls of about 2 cm in diameter.
- Roll the balls in dry grated coconut to coat.
- If you like you can crown the “beijinho” with a silver sugar pearl or with a clove.
- Place the “beijinhos” in mini cupcake papers cases.
Notes:
• They taste even better after a few days and may be stored at room temperature for more than a week.
• They may be frozen.
Yield: 40 “beijinhos”.
Posted on: 11 November 2011
I’m an architect. I was born in Brazil and my father was Italian.