Besitos de Coco, or coquitos, made from coconut, papelón (panela) and spices, are among the Venezuelan Creole pastries whose recipe has been passed down from generation to generation.
What are besitos de coco?
Besitos de coco, meaning “coconut kisses”, also called coquitos, are traditional small cakes of Caribbean Creole cuisine in many countries.
With sometimes different names, they are particularly popular throughout Latin America.
These delicious traditional cupcakes also traveled to Spain, and to the Dominican Republic.
Mainly based on two very typical ingredients, papelón and coconut, besitos de coco are crunchy cookies on the outside but with a tender and caramelized heart, They are easy to make and very tasty.
First, the papelón is cut into small pieces and immersed in water to cook until it melts and forms a caramel or molasses, and is allowed to cool.
Then grated coconut, flour and / or starch, eggs, baking powder and / or baking soda, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and especially guayabita ( allspice) are added. They are then baked in the oven.
It is a delicacy that can be enjoyed as a snack, accompanied by latte or shisha.
What is the origin of besitos de coco?
Besitos de coco are a delicacy with a long tradition in Venezuela.
The beginnings of making these cookies in Venezuela date back to the end of 1700, when wheat flour became popular for making bread and other bakery and pastry products.
The writer, Berta Cabanillas de Rodríguez, tells in his book “El puertorriqueño y su alimentación a través de su historia (siglos XVI al XIX)” (the Puerto Rican and his food through his history XVI-XIX centuries), some details. Besitos de coco are said to originate from Puerto Rico, where slaves substituted coconut milk for lard to prepare their desserts. These desserts were sweetened with the sugar they made from leftover honey, or made from honey.
In Venezuela, it is extremely common for street vendors to offer besitos de coco, like other Creole sweets, by roadsides, on beaches or even at the gates of houses in certain cities, especially in the states of Anzoátegui, Aragua, Falcón, Miranda, Sucre, Vargas and Zulia.
But just like cocadas, the history of coconut besitos spans from Spain to Latin America. This is clearly a dessert of Spanish origin, because, apart from coconut, sugar and milk are products that were brought by the Spaniards to these countries they colonized.
History says that in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and because of the shortage of pine nuts, which have been used heavily in many recipes for centuries, coconut was used as a substitute.
What is panela?
It is also called rapadura, raspadura, rapadou, atado dulce, chancaca, empanizao, papelón, piloncillo, panocha in Hispanic and Portuguese languages. It is called pain de vesou in French.
Panela is a very common food in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Central America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Haiti and in the Canary Islands.
Panela is an unrefined cane sugar, which retains all of its original substances, with an intense brown color. It has not undergone any transformation or refining, which is what gives it a very dark amber color and explains why it is humid with a tendency to clump together. Solid, it is crushed into small pieces or grated very finely. It is also sold reduced to a powder.
Its only ingredient is therefore sugar cane juice (or “vesou”), which is cooked at high temperature to give a kind of molasses, then cooled in loaf shapes.
Panela is a product typical of Latin American countries which serves both as a sweetener and as a healing food against malnutrition, skin diseases and cooling conditions, given its considerable nutritional properties.
Colombia is the main producer of this sugar, but its cultivation is also widespread in Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Venezuela and Bolivia.
The variants
Besitos de coco, coquitos, cocadas, whatever the name, are coconut cupcakes of which there are several variations.
Colombia
Cocadas are a typical Colombian dessert, although it is representative of the gastronomy of the coastal regions. Its main ingredient is grated coconut, accompanied by brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
Brazil
In Brazil, cocadas are a traditional confectionery originating in the northeast of the country. A variation of cocada in Brazil is “cocada negra” (black cocada) made from brown sugar and roasted coconut.
“Rei da cocada preta” (king of the black cocada) is used to refer to an arrogant person who is very self-centered. Brazilian cocadas are often long and thin rather than round and are sold on the street.
Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, there are two varieties of these coconut cookies. The first, typical of the Caribbean coast and the central valley, is also found in the form of tártara, a kind of wheat pancake filled with coconut and sweet fillings. The second is a kind of spherical cake made from grated coconut and milk.
Mexico
In Tecolutla, in the State of Veracruz, on March 1, 2009, on the occasion of the celebration of the coconut fair, the largest cocada in the world was made. The largest that was made was 738 feet (225 m) long.
Peru
Cocadas, known since colonial times, were made in convents by Creole nuns. At the end of the 19th century, in Lima, it was customary to bake coconut cookies in two different ways: one with panela and the other with sugar and egg yolks.
Uruguay
In Uruguay, but also in Colombia and Mexico, conserva de coco are sold not only as artisanal confectionery in stores, but generally in the streets, in baskets, and in particular on the beaches, by men or women who carry them on large aluminum trays. In Uruguay, they are commonly sold in bakeries as coquitos, some of the more delicate versions of which include a cherry on top and a syrup coating.
Besitos de Coco
Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour
- 1 cup panela
- ½ teaspoon guayabita powder (allspice)
- 3 cloves
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 eggs , lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3½ oz coconut , freshly finely grated
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Reserve.
- Pour the water into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the panela. Mix well.
- Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, and allspice.
- Cook the mixture over low heat until the panela dissolves well and there are no more lumps. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that it dissolves more easily.
- Remove from the heat. Reserve 4 tablespoons of the syrup to brush the besitos once cooked.
- Let the syrup cool.
- Remove the cloves and cinnamon stick.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the panela syrup and eggs.
- Add the coconut, and mix using the flat beater attachment.
- Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda mixture and mix again until the dough is slightly soft.
- If the dough is too soft, add a little coconut or sifted flour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 ° C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a tablespoon or spatula, take small piles of dough and shape the besitos, flattening them a little and separating them, as they tend to swell a little during cooking.
- Bake for about 15 minutes.
- Place the besitos on a cooling rack and, while they are still very hot, brush with the cooled panela syrup.
- Once the besitos are cool and dry, store in an airtight metal box.
Video
Sources
Wikipedia (FR) – Cocada
Wikipedia (ES) – Cocada
EcuRed
Vera is the “expert” of the 196 flavors’ duo. With over 30 years of experience in the kitchen, she is now sharing her skills as a private chef and cooking instructor.
ZANE says
This pastries are worth trying.