Beijos de Mulata

In Brazil, mainly in families, more rarely on sale in the street, is this recipe of “beijos de mulata”, literally kisses of the mixed race. “Mulata” refers to a mixed-race girl and more generally a beautiful girl in Brazilian Portuguese. It is thanks to their golden color at the exit of the frying and also to the chocolate bath that these small sweets owe their name. A very simple recipe that changes from our good old nun farts (less glamorous in the name I must admit, but I like it too…). They are small doughnuts dipped in a thick chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut. In Brazil, the dried coconut is thicker than ours, but that doesn’t really change the taste!

Recipe of “beijos de mulata”:

-3 yellow

-75ml (g) cachaça (or white rum)

-110g of sugar

-3/4 teaspoon baking powder

-15g of butter

-400 to 450g of flour

Chocolate sauce:

-60g of chocolate powder

-60g of sugar (we are in Brazil, we like sugar!)

-15g of milk

Grated dried coconut

Frying oil

Mix the yolks and add the cachaça. So I anticipate your question: yes the alcohol evaporates, only the taste remains! It is present, certainly, that is the goal, but it is there to bring precisely its flavor and a crunch because precisely it evaporates!

Add the powdered sugar.

Baking powder. I put a teaspoonful to raz. Always with my American spoons.

Then finally pour in the flour. Add it a little at a time to feel how much the dough needs. It should have the consistency of bread dough.

You must “feel” the need for flour in the dough.

The dough should not be too soft or too hard.

Add the butter (at room temperature) and knead to incorporate it.

Now it’s time for a good fifteen minutes of kneading by hand or in a food processor!

Once the dough is well kneaded, let it rest for an hour in cling film to prevent it from drying out. Make balls of about 10g. You can weigh the first ones and then do the next ones “at sight”.

Fry in a hot oil bath. Make sure you have enough oil, because if the dumplings are not submerged, they will open and break.

Let the doughnuts cool for a few moments (well tanned), just enough time to cook the rest and prepare the chocolate sauce…

For the sauce, mix the chocolate powder and sugar.

Add the milk. It should be a fairly thick sauce.

Dip each “beijo” in the chocolate.

Drain well with a fork.

Then roll them in the coconut. It is important to know that in Brazil we find coconut much thicker than the one we have at home. But it works just as well with ours!