Jump to the recipe
Coquitos are a classic sweet in Gibraltar especially in summer. They are small balls of shredded coconut, mixed with condensed milk to form a lovely sweet filling, covered in a crunchy sugar coating. It is a mouthful of heaven and bliss, creamy on the inside, sweet, and crunchy on the outside providing not only a wonderful taste but also different textures.
The sugar coating can be a bit tricky because it involves dipping the coconut balls in molten sugar and you have to take care not to burn yourself, and the sugar gets darker as time goes on so you don’t want to be too slow which is why I’ve rated the difficulty as hard. Plus, I don’t like very much working with melted sugar as it’s easy to get burned. However do not be put off by this, the sweet rewards are definitely worth it. It is customary to use red colouring in the sugar coating, like toffee apples but I prefer to not use artificial colourings.
Coquitos Recipe – Crunchy sugar-coated coconut bites
Yield: 25 Servings
Difficulty: Hard
Print recipe
Pin recipe
Description
This is a traditional coconut sweet in Gibraltar in the summer time with a crunchy sugar coating and creamy coconut filling.
Metric
US/Cups
Ingredients
- 125 g finely shredded or powdered coconut
- 125 g condensed milk
- 200 g sugar
- 25 co*cktail sticks
- 4½ oz finely shredded or powdered coconut
- 4½ oz condensed milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 25 co*cktail sticks
Instructions
- Mix the shredded coconut and condensed milk in a bowl until it comes together and forms a paste.
- Place in the fridge for a couple of hours so that it sets and hardens.
- Make and roll into small balls of about 2 to 3 cm in diameter (1 inch).
- Place a co*cktail stick into each one so that is resembles a lollipop. Make sure the stick is most of the way in but doesn’t pierce the other side.
- Melt the sugar in a bowl on a low heat. This could take a while. Stir so that it doesn’t caramelise too much, removing occasionally from the heat if need be so that it doesn’t burn.
- Dip each ball into the sugar so that it coats the ball evenly. This must be done quickly and try to avoid the coconut ball from touching the side or the bottom of the pan otherwise it will stick and come apart.
- Place the sugar coated balls on parchment paper until the outside hardens and sets.
- Once cooled completely they can be enjoyed and eaten.
Do you like this recipe? Give it a rating!
/rating_on.png "Coquitos Recipe - Traditional Gibraltar Crunchy Coconut Sweet (3)")
/rating_half.png "Coquitos Recipe - Traditional Gibraltar Crunchy Coconut Sweet (7)")
4.50 from 2 reviews
coconut / dessert / Gibraltarian Cuisine
Recent posts Articles & recipes
Kidney bean veggie burger
This vegan kidney bean and soya mince burger is very tasty and perfect to satisfy any burger craving. It is so easy and economical, as well being able to be made in advance in batched and frozen until ready to use. Serve with some vegan mayo and ketchup, salad leaves, tomato and onion and you're onto a winner!
Continue reading
‘Ajoblanco’ soup
Ajoblanco is a typical cold soup made with almonds, garlic, bread and olive oil from the eastern region of Malaga province known as the Axarquia. Ajoblanco is usually served with green moscatel grapes or chopped melon.
Continue reading
Greek Style Feta Cheese Salad
Traditional Greek salad (or at least it is heavily inspired on the traditional version) with a block of feta infused with herbs, with ripe tomatoes and tasty and refreshing cucumbers.
Continue reading
Green Bean Salad
Green bean salad is a simple dish that is full of flavour very typical of southern Spain and Gibraltar and has many variations across the Mediterranean. As with many salads of this region, it has raw garlic but you can also sauté the garlic so it is not as strong.
Continue reading
How to give meals savoury flavour
Taking vegetarian and vegan dishes to the next level as well as recreating the flavours you have been accustomed to is quite easy with some easy to find ingredients .
Continue reading
Berza – Chickpea Stew
Berza is a traditional stew of the southernmost tip of Spain and has an incredible flavour using spearmint and sweet smoked paprika (or sun dried peppers) that may seem unusual but work together wonderfully. This is a veggie (vegan actually) version of the traditional dish that is also very healthy.
Continue reading
