5 Ingredients or Fewer

Coconut Milk Fudge (Topra Pak)

by:
November 20, 2015
5
4 Ratings
Coconut Milk Fudge (Topra Pak)
Photo by David Loftus
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Makes 25 to 30 little fudges
Author Notes

This is a fairly ancient Gujarati sweet, traditionally made using fresh coconut and milk that has been reduced for hours. As coconut trees don't readily grow where I live now, and there's no need to spend hours reducing your own milk, we make this with desiccated coconut and condensed milk—two readily available pantry ingredients.

What's even more satisfying is that the fudge can be made within minutes (depending on your ball-rolling skills) and looks impressive, so it will stand you in good stead for last-minute dinners, bring-a-thing to work days, picnics, bribes, and village fète offerings.

Excerpted from Made in India (Flatiron Books 2015). —Meera Sodha

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 1/2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (or finely ground seeds from 6 pods)
Directions
  1. Pour the condensed milk into a nonstick saucepan and put it on a gentle heat. Stir frequently so that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom. (If it does burn, the burned bits can taste quite nice, but it's a fine line between nice and horrid.)
  2. When the milk comes to a simmer, add 2 cups of the desiccated coconut and the ground cardamom. Keep stirring over a low heat until the mixture starts to look like dough. To test whether it's ready, pinch a piece off and let it cool for a minute before you see if you can roll it into a ball. If you can, take the pan off the heat and transfer the fudge to another bowl.
  3. While you wait for the fudge to cool enough for you to handle it, get a bowl and put the rest of the desiccated coconut into it (to roll the fudge in) and another clean plate on which to put the finished fudge.
  4. When the fudge is cool enough to touch, roll a bit into a small ball (roughly 1 1/4 inches in diameter). Roll it around in the desiccated coconut and put it onto a plate. Repeat with the rest of the fudge.
  5. You can keep these in a clean tub in the fridge for up to a week.
  6. Tip: As a treat for my grandma (who loves a Mounds bar), we sometimes melt some good-quality chocolate and dunk the fudge into it, using a cocktail stick, then set them in the fridge until hard.
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18 Reviews

Paul M.
Paul M. March 30, 2020
O-M-G!!! Just so you know, these ALMOST caused a small civil disturbance because they didn't last long... should have made more... I think I shouldn't have also dipped them in dark chocolate ganache before chilling, and carried a small gun for self-defense!
"Dude Life!"
 
Carol
Carol March 31, 2020
Ok, so your comment wins the internet today!
 
Jeanette P.
Jeanette P. December 27, 2019
I wish I had read the reviews before making this recipe. “Condensed milk”(as stated in the ingredient list) is NOT the same as “SWEETENED condensed milk” (which is what I SHOULD have used). Please update your ingredient list so that future users don’t make the same mistake I did. SO frustrating.
 
Kristen M.
Kristen M. March 23, 2020
Hi Jeanette, I just saw this comment and updated the recipe—I'm sorry this was so frustrating!
 
Carol
Carol March 31, 2020
Condensed milk is always sweetened. Were you thinking of evaporated milk?
 
Maaahia
Maaahia December 21, 2019
I must have made them at least ten times by now and they always turn out wonderful. I've tried several variations and my favourite was adding some chai spice :)
 
Julia
Julia November 11, 2018
this looks amazing! do you know if it is possible to use coconut milk and achieve thr dsme result?
 
maria S.
maria S. September 27, 2017
I can't wait to make these! Three of my favorite flavors in one sweet.
 
shenochowicz
shenochowicz December 11, 2016
Just made these today with some leftover condensed milk I had on hand - did 1 part condensed milk to 1 1/4 parts shredded coconut. I rolled them in a combination of shredded coconut and sparkly sprinkles for a little flair! They were super easy to make and taste delish.
 
Dayn R.
Dayn R. October 30, 2016
Ended up using the shredded organic coconut (very finely shredded, so that helped) from Publix and it all went together nicely. A little more stirring than I'd expected but that was from the coconut, I believe. Just the right amount of cardamom, too!
Bought the mini-chocolate chips and before everything cooled too much we shoved the chips into the balls to look like little eyes - 'tis Halloween after all.
Lastly, just as a test - I sprinkled some espresso powder onto a few sample pieces. Wait for it... Yup, it totally worked - almost like a chai moment, of sorts. Next time, will make a small batch w/ the espresso cooking into the mix to add more flavor.
Awesome, super-easy recipe - oh, we added a few drops of vanilla.
 
Kim C.
Kim C. December 22, 2015
Can I use 2 1/2 cups of shredded coconut from the bag (like Bakers Secret) instead of desiccated coconut?
 
Carol
Carol December 23, 2015
IMO, Shredded coconut wouldn't work very well with this recipe. Maybe the 'flaked' kind. Has to be unsweetened too. Does Bakers have an unsweetened variety?
 
Carol
Carol December 20, 2015
Um, yum? My mouth watering just reading the recipe! Gonna make these today. Will let you know how they turn out!
 
Carol
Carol December 23, 2015
I have to say these turned out much better than I thought they would. I thought the cardamom would be overbearing, but, it isn't at all. From start to finish, this recipe took a 1/2 hour and that included the rolling of the fudge in the coconut and putting them in those pretty little cupcake cups.
I used the coconut that one buys in bulk. Kind of powdery and yet, flaky and not sweet at all but, just perfect for this recipe.
 
betty888
betty888 December 18, 2015
I threw this together for a last minute Christmas gift for a friend today. Really fast and very yummy. Almost like a Mars bar in consistency. I doubled the cardamom, and since I had some melted chocolate on the stove, I dipped a few in that. Tasty. Will make again!
 
betty888
betty888 December 19, 2015
Mounds bar, not Mars. :)
 
Molly
Molly December 15, 2015
Is "condensed milk" the same as "sweetened condensed milk"? I can only find the sweet version.
 
darshy
darshy December 18, 2015
It is.