Cocada — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Chewy, caramelized coconut candy made from shredded coconut cooked in sugar syrup until golden and fudgy, sold in glossy slabs on every Brazilian beach and street corner.

Ingredients

400g shredded coconut (fresh or dried)
300g sugar
200ml water
1 can condensed milk (optional for cremosa version)
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1 Combine sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2 Add shredded coconut and stir continuously as the mixture cooks. For cremosa version, add condensed milk.
3 Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, becomes golden, and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
4 Add vanilla extract and salt, stir to combine.
5 Pour onto a lightly greased marble slab or baking tray. Spread to about 2cm thickness.
6 Let cool slightly, then cut into squares or diamonds while still warm.
7 Allow to cool completely until firm. Store in an airtight container.

Did You Know?

Cocada is said to have been created by enslaved African women who adapted West African coconut sweets using Brazilian sugarcane — it is now sold by baianas on virtually every Brazilian beach.