Caramel coconut coffee cookie
I really only needed one can of condensed milk for my classic cocada cookie from Bolivia last week. But 2 cans sneakily found their way into my shopping bag. Can number two was destined to become dulce de leche – that addictive South American caramel. So this week it was easy to decide what to make as my take on the classic cocada. For my caramel coconut coffee cookie I used a big dollop of dulce de leche instead of ordinary condensed milk and I mixed in some instant espresso powder. The caramel coconut coffee cookies turned out deliciously crunchy on the outside and soft, caramelized and sweet in the middle. Very nice!
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Caramel coconut coffee cookie
for about 25 cookies
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (about 400 grams)
200 grams unsweetened desiccated coconut
1 egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ teaspoon of instant espresso powder
pinch of salt flakes
For the dulce de leche caramel
Dulce de leche is easy to make, but you do need to take some time. You can order very good ready made dulce de leche online.
Place a can of condensed milk in a saucepan and fill the pan with water up to 3/4 of the height of the can. Place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Remove the wrapper as soon as it lets loose to prevent a mess… Leave to boil gently for about 3 hours with the lid on the pan. Check regularly to see if there still is enough water in the pan. Some recipes say you should make a few holes in the top of the can to prevent it from exploding. My cans never did and I have made dulce de leche many, many times. Take the can out of the water and let it cool down completely.
For the cookies
Mix 200 grams of dulce de leche with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and leave to stand for about 10 minutes.
Form little crescents with your hands. Don’t press the dough together too much. The caramel coconut coffee cookies taste nicer when they are lighter and look nicer if they have some unruly bits sticking out.
Place the little crescents on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and bake the caramel coconut coffee cookies for about 20-25 mins until light brown.
Take from the oven and leave to cool on the cookie sheet.
This post is also available in: Dutch
