I'm CocoNUTS for Brigadeiros!

Pardon my incredibly cheesy post title, but it just seemed over-the-top enthusiastic enough to explain my feelings about the recipe I'm about to share with you. Picture this: Ooey gooey, super sweet, fudge-like coconut flavor rolled into a ball and coated in a shredded coconut blanket of sorts. Hello, heaven! {And hello cavities, too, if you're not careful. This stuff is sweet, people. But sooo worth it.}

I read about Coconut Brigadeiros on a few different cooking sites, but I decided to try out the recipe I found on Fine Cooking.com. It doesn't get much easier than pouring a few ingredients into a pot and whisk, whisk, whisking until you get something resembling coconut-scented Mod Podge. Sticky stuff.

The best part? While your mixture is cooling, you get to scrape the sort of burnt-on residue on the bottom of the pot (sounds delicious, I know.) and sample the fruits of your labor. Unless you you've already reached your sugar quota for the day when you licked the leftover condensed milk right off the spoon. Um... oh. You mean you didn't do that? Good! I didn't either... ;)

Anyway, here's the recipe for the Brazilian goodness. Enjoy! (And don't forget to brush!)

Coconut Brigadeiros
Found at Fine Cooking.com

You'll need:

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 tsp. light corn syrup
1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut (toasted, if desired)

Directions:

1.Put the condensed milk, coconut milk, butter, corn syrup, and ½ cup of the coconut in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat to medium low and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and pulls together into a dense batter, about 8 minutes. When the mixture is ready, the whisk will leave trails in the batter, allowing you to briefly see the pan bottom, and when you tilt the pan, the mixture should slide to the side in a blob, leaving a thick residue on the bottom of the pan. (It’s OK if the residue is slightly brown.)

2. Slide the mixture into a bowl. (Don’t scrape the pan—you don’t want to use any of the batter stuck to the bottom. But you will want to eat it directly off the spoon. Duh.) Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until very firm, 3 to 4 hours.

3. Put the remaining ½ cup coconut in a bowl. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, scoop the mixture by the teaspoonful, and with your hands, roll each into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. Drop each ball into the coconut as you finish rolling it. When you have 4 to 6 brigadeiros, roll them in the coconut and lift them out with your fingers semi-open, carefully shaking off the excess.

4. Store brigadeiros in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. (If refrigerating, bring to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.)