Portuguese Coconut Tarts (Queijadas de Coco)

 

 

   

  Every year, around Easter, I always look forward to all of the usual treats. The Cadbury caramel eggs, my carrot cake decorated with a basket weave design (get it?), and of course, anything and everything coconut. So I was pretty excited when I happened upon this dessert that was completely new to me. 

 Have you ever heard of a Portuguese Coconut Tart? If you can imagine that a coconut custard pie and a coconut cupcake had a baby, it would be this. Caramelized and golden on top and custard-y in the center, it's one of the most delicious coconut somethings I've every tasted. True story! I saw the recipe on a short video from Celia Rego, who makes traditional Portuguese dishes, and immediately wanted to make them (mainly because I've never met a coconut I didn't like.) They're super simple to make too! All it took was a few simple ingredients that I just happened to have on hand, and it came together in no time. You don't even need cupcake liners to bake. SO easy!!

 Full disclosure... I may or may not have tweaked this recipe ever so slightly, but I absolutely can not claim this recipe as my own. I kid you not when I say I had to stop myself from eating them and I PROMISE I'll be making them again and again. 

If you like coconut, this is absolutely something you need to try!!

 

 

8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1 stick butter, room temperature

6 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

14oz sweetened shredded coconut 

 

 

Heat oven to 350ºF. 

Using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Mix in the sugar, then the flour until smooth. Now stir in the coconut by hand, adding a little at a time so it doesn't clump together. 

  Grease and flour a muffin tin, or spray with baking spray. Fill each cup completely. Tap your pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden on top. Cool completely before removing from pan. 

 

 

 

Tips:

There are other versions that have different amounts of sugar and eggs, and there are some that use milk instead of cream cheese. This recipe was so good I don't even feel the need to try any other! 

The only thing I added was a tsp of vanilla extract, and a tsp of coconut extract. I didn't add them to the list of ingredients because I wanted to post it as I first discovered it, but of course I couldn't leave well enough alone. I think the vanilla and coconut extracts were a delicious addition and this is how I'll always make them!