It’s Wednesday. Let’s make some candy!
The truth is that I’m not a super huge candy person. I’d much rather shove a cupcake or a donut into my face. But if I am going to reach for candy, it’s going to be something rustic and simple like a brittle or a nice piece of bark.
And since it’s warm out and I’ve got beaches on the brain, I’m pretty sure it’s time for some sweet, substantive, flavored cocada.
Don’t get me wrong: Snickers, Junior Mints and Reese’s definitely have a place in the pantheon of Sweets Excellence. I just personally prefer the flavor-popping excellence that can only come from homemade candy.
Plus, when you go homemade you’re in the driver’s seat, which is always nice.
Today we’re steering towards sweet coconut and lime. Because the sun is shining. Because my bathing suit has been unmothballed. Because I’ve started hinting to A. about trips to the shore.
It must be summertime. We’re going to need snacks.
This particular cocada recipe produces a finished product that is closer to a fruit roll-up than a brittle bark. A thick, chewy fruit roll-up. A fruit roll-up that fights back.
I like my cocada like I like my shoes: chunky, colorful and extremely high-heeled. Huh? Whatever.
Here’s the method for this recipe: stir and spread. No hard or soft ball stages. You’re simply going to get all your sweet stuff together, combine it in a large bowl, and spread it onto a large, rimmed baking sheet.
The thing is the waiting. This cocada bakes for almost an hour and, if you really want to get it right, you’ll let it set overnight. But I see some cheating in your future. A little subversive nibbling around the edges.
Don’t worry, I won’t tell.
So I suppose you could unwrap a Three Musketeers. Pop a PEZ. Break off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. But gimme a break! Why would you want to when you can make yourself some fresh and fruity cocada instead?!?
All I can say is that nobody better lay a finger on my cocada.
Cocada melts in your mouth, not your hand.
There’s no wrong way to eat cocada.
Lime Nut Cocada
2- 14 oz. cans sweetened, condensed milk (approximately 3 1/2 cups)
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1- 14 oz. bag of shredded, sweetened coconut (approximately 5 1/2 cups)
1 c. pine nuts, toasted (I toast my pine nuts for approximately 10 minutes at 350°, tossing halfway through, and watching them like a hawk to be sure they don’t burn.)
2 tbsp. lime juice, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp. lime zest
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line an 11” x 17” rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. This step, for this recipe, is not optional: baked cocada will stick to anything other than parchment (foil, a greased baking sheet, etc.) and you will not be able to remove it post-baking. The parchment paper should completely cover the bottom and sides of the baking sheet. Set the lined pan aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir the condensed milk, corn syrup, lime juice and coconut together until well-blended. Fold in the nuts and zest and mix by hand until both are uniformly distributed throughout the milk mixture. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and, using a rubber scraper, push the mixture evenly across and into the corners of the pan. Bake for 50 minutes. The cocada will bubble and darken as it bakes and, finished, will be deep golden brown across the top, crusted at the edges, and set through the center.
Allow the cocada to cool and set for at least two hours, ideally overnight. Using a sharp, lightly oiled knife, slice the cocada into squares, carefully remove each piece from the parchment lining, and enjoy straight away or store in an airtight container separated with parchment.
YIELD: 15 pieces of cocada, each approximately 3 – 4″ square
This looks amazing! What a great flavor combo. Can’t wait to make this for my coconut-loving family
Great recipe, I love these flavors! Thanks for posting this. : )
This looks glorious; however, I really despise pine nuts. I wonder if almonds would work in their place?
Yes, almonds would work perfectly! I actually think that just about any nut would fit the bill – it’s more of a textural bonus than anything else. So almonds, pecans, macadamias, even peanuts would work!
I would totally cheat and nibble around the edges. That’s just the kind of person I am. I guess I would have to break out the kit-kats while I waited for the overnight torture, I mean setting. But, then again, I would probably eat it in the middle of the night anyways – keeping it all to myself.
wow! Yum! thanks for sharing
Nice recipe.
What an exciting recipe. I don’t like coconut (the texture makes me crazy) so I need a substitute. I was thinking an equivalent or slightly lesser amount of semisweet chocolate. Do you think that would work, since you’ve made the bark before? Thanks.
Hmmm, this is a tough one. Chocolate may work, but I’m not sure about the consistency of the finished product. Other options might include shredded/grated carrots, Rice Krispies or another smaller-grain cereal, or sprinkles. The thing is that this bark, when baked and set, is still pretty soft so I would be reluctant to add anything to it that would make it softer, or even add something like tons of nuts, which I think would be too heavy for a softer candy like this. I say try the chocolate, but grate it or shave it or melt it first so that it distributes evenly throughout the bark, then make sure to let it set after baking. Also, you may want to adjust the baking time down with chocolate – start checking after 30 minutes for doneness. I hope this helps!
For every recipe with Corn Syrup you are giving money to Monsanto and supporting farmer oppression and the spread of GMO’s. Won’t cook with it and wish sites like this would at least let people know just how dangerous and bad for us and the planet it is to ask people to go out and continue to buy something so heinous.
Wow Mark. You certainly seem to have quite the opinion about corn syrup. I appreciate that you have strong feelings, but do you really think that this lovely blog by Scarletta needs this kind of negativity? Corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, which is what I think you are so bent about, are, in fact, two different things. HFCS is almost only available to food manufacturers, as it is used in soda and processed foods. So instead of blasting this nice lady and her recipe, why don’t you try either of these substitutions : 1/2 cup sugar + 2 tbsp water = 1/2 cup light corn syrup;
1/2 cup honey = 1/2 cup light corn syrup.
Bon Appetit!
Please do some research on this. They are basically the same thing and one of the problems with obesity in our country and filtering into the world.
I too, am glad to have an alternative to corn syrup for this recipe. I haven’t purchased any in many, many years. I rather agree that it is unnecessary and avoidable.
Gorgeous photos. I can taste it!
Holy moly! Two of my favorite ingredients. And with the sun coming out this is perfect seasonal eats!
And I love how you incorporated pine nuts. Not to crunchy…a perfect texture. Can’t wait to make this thank you. Pinning, of course.
Can’t wait to try this. My Dad is gonna go Loco for Coco with this one.
Will be making this tonight! Not sure I am going to share with the husband and kids. Does that make me selfish?
Thanks for sharing your talents with us. We are so lucky!
Yay, Steffani! Let me know how it turns out!
This is totally my kind of candy. I must make this for my family, they would go bonkers over it!
Oh my goodness gracious does that look good!!
Oh this looks like my kind of dessert. Yum~I love the tropical flavors here and your pictures turned out beautiful too!
I could eat this all day everyday.
This sounds so yummy! Love this flavour combination.
Um, I’m kind of in love with this.
I adore all things candy so any time you have excess laying around feel free to send it my way. You can send a batch of this too. This is spectacular.
One word: Wow.
Three words: Must….make….these.
Two more words: Thank you
Oh, this is YUM! Being a Florida girl – I adore the coconut / lime combo! You. Are. A. Genius!
Oh, gosh, I’m drooling…there’s something magical about the mixture of sweetened condensed milk and coconut. These must be irresistible!!!
Oh my yum! I haven’t met a citrus dessert I didn’t like and this one looks fabulous!
Candy? That just looks like a bar of goodness to me.
I must live under a rock, I have never heard of cocada before. But with all the lime and sweetness, I really want to try some!
OMG.
TWO cans sweetened, condensed milk and coconut and corn syrup…I am in candy bark heaven. Love it!
Oh you’ve totally left me in a dilemma now. I have some remaining cans of condensed milk left after making some Coconut Ice, and obviously some coconut. I was planning on making chocolate caramel shortbread bars with it but this totally has me lusting for this coconut cocada. The lime in it looks so refreshing, heaven!
Your limes look like they have polka dots on them LOL!! So cute! This bark is not something to laugh about though! I need a whole plate of these on my desk ASAP
These photos are beautiful – I’m especially enjoying the limes that almost look polkadot. This is a candy I’ve never heard of before – I’m interested in tweaking it a little to do more of an almond joy kind of flavor.
Lovely, just lovely.