Soft, chewy coconut cocadas are a Latin American cousin of the classic macaroon cookie. Much like their European counterpart, cocadas consist mainly of shredded coconut, eggs and condensed milk. As with macaroons, cocadas are traditionally a toasted, golden brown color, though food coloring is sometimes used for extra flair. Occasionally, the food coloring used in cocadas are used to symbolize the flag colors of a particular country, creating a dessert as patriotic as it is delicious. Other variations on the classic cocada involve the addition of whole or chopped almonds; bits of dried fruit; and flavors such as chocolate, cinnamon, coffee, lime and orange. And for a festive presentation, drop them in our favorite mini cupcake liners to serve.
Ingrid Hoffmann is the host of Cooking Channel’s Simply Delicioso and Delicioso, a weekly one-hour Spanish-language cooking show on Univision.