Dulce de Coco — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A traditional Cuban coconut dessert made from fresh grated coconut cooked slowly with sugar and cinnamon until thick and caramelized, served in small portions.

Ingredients

4 cups freshly grated coconut (or 2 bags unsweetened shredded coconut)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
4 egg yolks (optional, for richer version)

Instructions

1 Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot, stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely, then add the cinnamon sticks and bring to a gentle boil.
2 Add the grated coconut to the sugar syrup, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon as the mixture begins to thicken and the coconut absorbs the syrup.
3 Continue cooking and stirring for 25 to 30 minutes, watching carefully as the mixture gradually darkens to a golden caramel color and pulls away from the sides of the pot.
4 Remove from heat, discard the cinnamon sticks, stir in the vanilla extract and salt, then spoon the mixture into small paper cups or onto parchment paper in small mounds.
5 Let the coconut candies cool completely until they are firm enough to handle, then serve at room temperature or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Did You Know?

Dulce de coco has been made in Cuba since the colonial sugar plantation era, when enslaved workers combined abundant coconut and sugarcane to create this simple but beloved confection.