Cocadas Macaroon Cookies
Coconut, dulce de leche, and chocolate is a beloved combination. The sweet, toasted, and creamy flavor of cocadas (derived from the word “coconut”) are macaroons [ma-kə-ˈrüns] and have their roots in Italian, Jewish, Central American, and South American cultures. The word “macaroon” originates from the Italian “ammaccare”, meaning “to crush”
(dictionary.cambridge.org).
These chewy golden brown treats are a popular item at my holiday parties, for gift giving, and for any time and event you please. A little bit of joy to see on a plate, a pleasure to eat, and satisfying to the last bite.
When we consider baking at the ingredient level, the quality of those chief players is as important as any part in a music concert. The source and standard of baking products affects the entire outcome of the confection. As with cooking and everything else in life, quality matters. An analogy worth remembering.
None of the science nor history of a recipe or ingredient matters as much as the baker. We all come to the kitchen with various levels of skills in cookery, experience, and knowledge. We come to the table with a multitude of perspectives, passions, and interests. Whatever our skills and for whomever we are baking, making family and friends happy with home cooking or the gift of baked goods, pies, cookies, and more creates good times and memories.
The recipe for cocadas includes the best quality ingredients and time-tested techniques. The best of bakers make the process and outcome look simple. Do not be fooled. There is more that goes into these little confections than meets the eye.
Main Ingredients
Organic shredded coconut, toasted
Sweetened condensed milk
Homemade dulce de leche (meaning “sweet of the milk”; a South American caramel recipe consisting of milk, sugar, vanilla bean)
Macadamia nuts, ground
Chocolate in combination with the toasted coconut and buttery homemade dulce de leche is pure enjoyment. Utilizing high quality chocolate for this recipe is essential. A well-made chocolate will consist of cacao powder, cocoa butter, and a sweetener, like sugar. The farming practices, bean growth, and processing affects the flavor and consistency of chocolate.
Look for organic, sustainable, and traceable made chocolate. Conditions and circumstances for farmers and the cocoa crops must be clear and humane. Excellent farming and business practices must be in place from farm to manufacturer. As far as the end product, the chocolate must have a depth of flavor, be silky, and melt on the tongue. A high quality chocolate will have a strong aroma of chocolate, have a snap sound if broken, and will have a velvety feel in the mouth.
If you are making your own treats or purchasing confections for loved ones, the ingredients matter. The ingredients must be properly measured and mixed. The mixture must then be carefully scooped into equal size cookies. Time must be provided after baking for the cookies to cool before dipped in high quality chocolate.
As cookbook author and chef Marion Cunningham declared, "In many ways, home cooking is even more creative than what chefs do, because we improvise. We also have the fun of cooking together with our children or with friends. And there is a satisfaction of giving pleasure and comfort to others with something we have cooked ourselves.” Baking and cooking confections or other goods for family and friends is also fun and an excellent way to demonstrate gratitude.
Many readers rely on Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven as a source for how-to and where-to regarding cookery, culture, and community. Thank you to all those that have been loyal supporters and fans. The business originated when I started selling homemade chocolates around age 10. Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise.
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Credits: samueloskar and johnkaposphotography at Twenty20
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