Besitos de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Macaroons)
Besitos de coco are the kind of small, unfussy dessert I want to include on Cocina Hacks: a short ingredient list, plenty of coconut, and no elaborate decorating. Their name means “little coconut kisses,” which suits these little treats perfectly.
What draws me to them is the contrast between the lightly toasted coconut on the outside and the soft, chewy middle. Their uneven golden tips are part of their charm, so there’s no need to shape every cookie perfectly. A small plate beside a cup of coffee is a simple way to serve something sweet.
There are different ways to make besitos de coco. This version uses sweetened shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a whipped egg white. There’s no added flour—the coconut gives the cookies their structure.
A small batch—and only half the can
One detail deserves extra attention before you start: this recipe makes about 15 besitos and uses 198 g of sweetened condensed milk, half of a standard 14-ounce (396 g) can. Pouring in the whole can would add too much liquid for this amount of coconut, causing the mixture to spread rather than hold its shape.
The coconut matters just as much. Use 255 g of moist, sweetened shredded coconut. If you have a kitchen scale, weighing it takes the guesswork out of how tightly to pack the measuring cup. Dry, unsweetened desiccated coconut and wide coconut chips absorb moisture differently, so they aren’t direct replacements here.
Before adding the whipped egg white, the coconut mixture should be thick and sticky, with no puddle of condensed milk underneath it. Beat the white separately until it forms firm, glossy peaks, then fold it in gently. This helps lighten the mixture without losing all the air you’ve just beaten into it.
Look for golden tips, not an all-brown cookie
Shape the mixture into small, evenly sized mounds, tucking in any long coconut strands that stick out. Those loose strands can darken before the rest of the cookie is ready.
At 325°F (165°C), the besitos take approximately 20–25 minutes to bake. Use the time as a guide, but check their appearance too: the bases and exposed tips should be golden, while the centers remain pale. Waiting for the whole cookie to turn brown can leave the middle drier than intended.
Cooling is part of getting the texture right. Leave the besitos on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them carefully to a rack for at least another 10 minutes. Straight from the oven, their bases are delicate and can tear when lifted. Once cooled, they’re much easier to pick up, with a chewy center beneath the toasted surface.
Serve them as they are—the coconut and vanilla need very little help. For a dessert spread, pair them with flan de queso, whose smooth, creamy texture contrasts with the chewy coconut.
If coconut desserts are your favorite, try limber de coco for a cold treat. Or, for another small pastry to enjoy with coffee, make a batch of quesitos de guayaba y queso.
Did the besitos de coco you grew up eating have a chewy middle or a firmer bite? I’d love to hear how your family made them.
Besitos de Coco
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Two mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer
- Silicone spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Measuring spoons
- Small cookie scoop or two spoons
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
COCONUT MIXTURE
- 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut approximately 255 g; use the weight for consistency
- 7 oz sweetened condensed milk 198 g; half of a standard 14-ounce can by weight
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 5 ml
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
EGG WHITE
- 1 large egg white approximately 30 g, at room temperature
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F (165°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Measure the coconut and condensed milk carefully. If the coconut strands are especially long, chop them briefly into shorter pieces without grinding them into powder.
- In a large bowl, stir together the shredded coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt until evenly combined. The mixture should be thick and sticky, with no pool of condensed milk at the bottom.
- Place the egg white in a separate, clean, grease-free bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until firm, glossy peaks form. The peak should hold its shape when the beaters are lifted. Stop before the white becomes dry or clumpy.
- Fold about one-third of the beaten egg white into the coconut mixture to loosen it slightly. Gently fold in the remainder until no visible streaks remain.
- Divide the mixture into 15 equal portions, approximately 32–33 g each. Use a small scoop or two spoons to form rounded mounds on the lined baking sheet, leaving approximately 1½ inches between them.
- Gently tuck loose coconut strands against each mound. Shape just firmly enough to hold the cookies together without compressing them into dense balls.
- Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after about 12 minutes. The bases and exposed coconut tips should be golden, while the centers remain pale and the mounds hold their shape.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. They will be fragile when first removed from the oven.
- Transfer carefully to a wire rack and cool for at least another 10 minutes, or until firm enough to handle. Serve once cooled.
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