Colombian Cocadas
These Colombian Cocadas make part of our traditional kitchen. This recipe requires of just five ingredients. Incredible right? But the best part is they’re delicious, easy and quickly to prepare!
This sweet treat is very popular in my country They’re sold as an artisanal treat in shops and streets. But you will find it more often in cities close to the Caribbean or Pacific coast.
Colombia, for being a tropical country have bunches of coconut palms close its beaches. So, many women or men mostly our Afro-decedents carry a thick turban head and on it, a basket with cocadas full of flavor. But…
What are Cocadas?
Etymologically, the word cocada derives from the word for “coconut” and the Spanish suffix ada which means “a hit” or “a strike”. In general, the suffix ada indicates to strike with a sharp object, as in cracking a coconut open for example.
In an easy argot, cocadas refer to a dessert prepared mainly with grated coconut meat and sugar. Other ingredients and ways to prepare them can vary according to the family tradition, region or Latin country. Due to cocadas are also popular in many Central and South America countries.
TYPICAL INGREDIENTS FOR A TRADITIONAL COLOMBIAN COCADAS
As I already said, there are different variations in the ingredients to make cocadas. However, the coconut will be always the star ingredient, no matter what!
The ingredients I will be listing here are the ones used in the Caribbean coast, mainly in the Cartagena beaches:
- Coconut meat (fruit)
- Coconut water
- Panela (brown sugar loaf)
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
INGREDIENTS SUBSTITUTIONS TO MAKE COLOMBIAN COCADAS
- Shredded coconut
- brown sugar or white sugar: It depends the color you want them.
- Cinnamon sticks or powder
- If you make your cocadas with shredded coconut, you wont have the coconut water to add. So, you just have to add more milk to the mix.
THE INGREDIENTS I USED TO MAKE COLOMBIAN COCADAS
- Fresh coconut
- Coconut water
- Coconut nectar: This is a low glycemic sweetener.
- Vanilla extract
- alternative milk
HOW TO MAKE COLOMBIAN COCADAS
There are just few steps you will have to follow to make these incredible, yummy and artisanal treat. If you’re using fresh coconut:
- You’ll have to crack open the coconut to get the coconut meat and water. Save the water for later. But if you’re using shredded coconut, omit this step.
- Grate the coconut.
- Cook the shredded coconut with coconut water, sweetener, vanilla extract and milk until the wet ingredients have dried. Stir constantly to avoid the coconut burns.
- Let them cool about 10-15 minutes and with some spoons start forming your cocadas and put them in a flat surface to let them cool completely.
- Put them on bases of plantain leaves or parchment paper if you don’t have. (Optional)
- Refrigerate for some couple of minutes or just leave them room temperature. Putting them in the fridge, you’ll get more compacted cocadas.
- Enjoy!
TIP:
when you start cooking the coconut with the rest of the ingredients, do it in a medium temperature. So, the juices can absorb quickly. Once you see the mixture is thicker, simmer and keep stirring until the coconut looks golden and sticky, about 10-15 minutes.
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Colombian Cocadas
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh coconut meat or shredded coconut
- 1 cup water of the coconut
- 1 cup coconut nectar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup alternative milk plant based
Instructions
- Put the grated coconut, coconut water, coconut nectar(sweetener) and vanilla extract in a big pan and medium heat. Stir for about 5 minutes to incorporate all the flavors. Then, add the milk.
- Once you have seen the wet ingredients have reduced, reduce the heat to simmer. Until you see the mixture looks thicker. Do not stop stirring that will avoid the coconut burns or get stick on the bottom of the pan.
- Let the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes and then, with the help of some spoons, place little amounts of the coconut mixture on flat surface to form the cocadas.
- Let them cool completely and after that, put them in plantain leaves for decoration. (Optional)
- I recommend to place the cocadas in the fridge before enjoying them. That way, the they will be more compacted. You need to do this, if you are specially cooking them with coconut nectar. If you're making them with sugar or panela, you could leave them room temperature but they will last less than one week.