Coconut Balls (Cocadas)

Happy August!! Summer is going by so fast and I can’t wait for my favorite season to start = FALL. I will start making a list of Fall recipes that I’ll start posting in a couple of weeks, so if you have anything in mind for me to try to make, please let me know.

This recipe is another special one because my mother used to make it when I was a kid for my birthday parties. I wish I had some pictures here with me to show you the delicious spread she always had for our parties. For now, I’ll show you how to make this coconut balls and I’ll try to find pictures next time I travel to Peru.

Let’s start with the recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

4 cups shredded coconut

6 egg whites

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.- In a bowl, mix 1/3 of the granulated sugar with the flour. Set aside.

3.- In a pan, mix the rest of the sugar, coconut, egg whites. Using a water bath cook the mixture for about 4 minutes . Turn off the heat and add the flour mixture, orange zest and vanilla extract. Let it cool for a couple of minutes.

4.- Make balls (you can use a tablespoon to help you get the dough). Place them on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown but still soft inside.

5.- Let them cool and then storage them well so they can keep a crunchy texture.

Enjoy!