Love at First Bite: Bon Bons

IRTUALLY EVERYTIME I make a resolution, I know I will invariably change it or create loopholes—like the one time I promised not to eat cheese for a month, which soon whittled down to 2 weeks, and finally turned into 2 weeks without blue cheese (which I despise and therefore made my conviction suddenly seem very strong). That's why it probably doesn't surprise anyone that it hasn't even been 2 months and I am already reneging on my cake a month vow. What can I say? I'm consistently inconsistent.

I decided that cake is too limiting, and it's not even close to dethroning cookies in my mind, so instead I will be whipping up a more general birthday dessert every month. I also failed to mention that I started a new job last month, which has kept me busy and picking up the phone to order takeout rather than picking up the spatula to bake. ;-)

Since my friend's birthday falls a couple of days before Valentine's Day, I sent her some not-so-secret admirer chocolates. Her father works at a chocolate company (uh, hello new Best Friend) so I hope her refined taste buds enjoy these Brazilian bon bons.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 drops vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• unsweetened coconut
• chocolate sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine coconut milk, condensed milk, butter, vanilla extract and corn syrup. Using low heat, stir often for 20 minutes until the mixture thickens.
2. Wait for mixture to cool and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
3. Roll teaspoon-sized scoops of mixture into small balls. This can be messy, but if you slightly moisten your hands, it will keep the mixture from sticking to your hands.
4. Coat the bon bon in your favorite topping: I used shredded coconut and chocolate sprinkles which are both pretty and tasty.

Apologies in advance if my posts become increasingly sporadic—working full time and trying to maintain a job is a new challenge for me. You know what they say though... every exit is an entry somewhere else! :)

MARGARET