# Bala baiana

Bala baiana is a Brazilian dessert, also known as Brazilian coconut bon bons, that is easy to make and features a creamy coconut center coated in a hard, burnt sugar shell.

- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Category: Dessert
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 tbsp salted butter
- 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 thirds a cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 0.5 cup water
- 1 tbsp vinegar

## Instructions

1. Add a tablespoon of salted butter to a saucepan and melt it on medium heat.
2. Add one can of sweetened condensed milk and two-thirds a cup of sweetened coconut flakes to the saucepan.
3. Cook the mixture on medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes until it thickens and starts pulling away from the pan.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a separate bowl.
5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture until it is nice and cooled off.
6. Once cooled, take about a tablespoon of the mixture, grease your hands with butter, and roll it between your hands to form bite-sized balls.
7. Place the formed balls onto a parchment-lined pan.
8. In a clean saucepan, combine one cup of granulated sugar, half a cup of water, and one tablespoon of vinegar to make the burnt sugar coating.
9. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, until it turns an amber color.
10. Once the sugar is dark amber in color, carefully insert a toothpick into each coconut ball.
11. Dip each coconut ball quickly into the hot amber sugar, swirling it around to coat.
12. Place the coated balls back onto the parchment-lined pan.
13. Repeat the dipping process quickly as the pot of sugar will remain very hot.
14. After cooling, remove the toothpicks from the bala baiana.

## Equipment

- saucepan
- bowl
- parchment lined pan
- toothpick

## Tips

- Be careful when working with the hot burnt sugar.
- Move quickly when dipping the coconut balls into the sugar.
- Grease your hands with butter when rolling the coconut mixture into balls.

## Source

- Original video: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSHCRXS1b/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/3bb08878-6af5-4512-81a9-b8384d65f4d9
- Extracted: 2026-04-10

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt