Coconut Rolls

These tropical coconut rolls, known in Rio as Pão Doce de Coco, are denser and less sweet than American blueberry cinnamon rolls. They are filled with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and coconut flakes (doce de coco) and topped with a smooth and sweet coconut glaze. These are some of the best coffee treats that you will ever have!

How to Make Coconut Rolls (Pão Doce de Coco)

There are 2 ways to get the dough for these Brazilian coconut rolls ready. You can either make it from scratch or buy one for refrigerated crescent rolls and save some time. It is up to you!

But here is how to prepare our sweet coconut rolls:

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the sugar. Stir in the warm milk and let rest for 5 minutes. Stir in the egg, then the flour, coconut milk, and butter. Knead the dough and let rest in the bowl, covered with a warm, wet towel in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
2. Then prepare the filling: Mix the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Reserve!
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to form a 15-inch rectangle, then brush most of the melted butter on top of the dough and spread the filling, leaving 1-2 inches free on the edges. SEE PIC. 1 Sprinkle brown sugar on top, distributing evenly. Roll up tightly like a cinnamon roll log and cut into 12 slices. 
4. Grease and line with parchment paper a 13” x 9” rectangular baking pan. Arrange the coconut rolls into the pan in a single layer, keeping them about at least 1-inch apart. Brush the remaining melted butter on top of the rolls, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes as they will continue to rise. SEE PIC. 2
5. If you are using a store-bought refrigerated crescent roll dough, try to roll out the dough on a floured surface as a whole as you can and then mend the pieces together forming a rectangle. Follow the same directions to fill it, roll it up into a log, cut, and brush with melted butter. There will be no need to wait for 30 minutes because they will not rise! In fact, you will save more than 90 minutes because you won’t prepare the dough from scratch and wait to rise it two times.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes at 390° F (200° C) if the dough is from scratch or at 350° F (180° C) if the dough is pre-made. Cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes, especially if the dough is homemade. You don’t want them to brown too much on top. They are ready when puffy and golden brown! SEE PIC. 3
7. Meanwhile, make the topping or coconut frosting. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth (no lumps). Then beat in the sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk. If you want, stir in coconut extract. Spread evenly the frosting over the warm coconut rolls (SEE PIC. 4) and then sprinkle coconut flakes on top. SEE PICS. 5 & 6 Enjoy!

About Brazilian Coconut Rolls

Life is just sweeter with a treat to comfort and bring joy, don't you think?

If you are like me, you will crave once and a while some sweet bread rolls accompanied by a cup of coffee. It is a simple pleasure yet able to brighten my busy days… and also a good excuse to take a break.

Moreover, it also brings me fond memories of my childhood. I still remember as a child going to the padaria (bakery) to buy different types of bread, including pão doce which can be literally translated as sweet bread.

Forget the candies... What I wanted were these sweet rolls!!! 🙂  I loved getting there in the afternoon, just when one of the batches was leaving the oven, warm and aromatic as only the most wonderful treats can be...

Fortunately this time, I won't have to close my eyes to remember the marvelous aroma of this favorite treat of mine. I can experience it in my kitchen! 

I hope they make you excited too!

What’s pão doce?

Pão doce is a type of Brazilian sweet bread that looks like a roll. They are denser than the classic American cinnamon rolls and less sweet as well. 

In Brazil, it is common to find some filled with guava paste (pão doce com goiabada) and others with coconut (pão doce com coco or pão doce de coco). A few also have vanilla custardy topping similar to the pastry cream.

If you use a ring pan to bake them, each individually will still look like a coconut roll although the whole will look like a round wreath, similar to a roscón/rosca de reyes (Three King’s cake) although the toppings are different.

Keep in mind they have nothing to do with the coconut wafers sold by Costco and Sprouts under the name crispy coconut rolls.

Our coconut roll recipe is quite different. You can either make the dough for these yeast-sweet bread rolls from scratch or use a store-bought one for crescent rolls like you would do to make semi-homemade cinnamon rolls, cutting down the prep time a lot.

In addition, do not confuse our coconut bread rolls with the Samoan Pani Popo which is smaller, less sweet, and has no filling. It looks like more a sweet bun than a roll. 

Depending on the diet you follow, you may find similar recipes for coconut flour rolls which are often keto, or for coconut date rolls, made with Medjool dates and a hit among vegans.

As you can see, the Brazilian coconut rolls are unique! The dough is very Portuguese while the flavor is quite Brazilian. 🙂 

Serve them with a good cup of coffee for breakfast or as a treat in the afternoon.

Expert Tips for Coconut Rolls

1. Use brown sugar in the filling for extra flavor. It will complement the nutmeg and add a comforting caramelized flavor to the rolls while contrasting well with the tropical coconut flavors.
2. The best pan to use: I prefer a 9×13-inch metal pan because it will bake them evenly. Avoid ceramic pans that can take longer to bake them through.
3. For evenly baked and golden brown coconut rolls, tent a loose piece of foil over the rolls after about 15 minutes in the oven (halfway baked through). This will make the center and tops bake evenly and avoid them browning too much on top before the centers cook.
4. You may skip on the cream cheese for the topping but the glaze won’t be as creamy. Actually, this ingredient is not used in the traditional Brazilian recipe. Try with and also without and see which one works best for you. I prefer mine with cream cheese!
5. Roll up TIGHTLY into a log so the rolls won’t be opening while baking. It is ok if the filling runs down to the pan. You will have rolls with crunchy edges on the bottom. It is delicious!
6. When spreading the filling, make sure to leave 1-2 inches free on the edges; otherwise, you will have a mess to clean when rolling up into a log.

Storage

• Store coconut rolls (frosted or unfrosted) in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• You may freeze them in freezer bags or containers in a single layer for up to 6 weeks, unfrosted. But for that, only bake them for 10 minutes and then let them cool in order to freeze them. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15-20 minutes and frost. 
• It is one of those easy freezer meals that you can enjoy later just like our air fryer cinnamon rolls, Brazilian cheese bread, no yeast bread, and garlic bread rolls. 

Still, nothing is better than freshly made and baked rolls.

Other coconut desserts:

• Quindim
• Chocolate chip coconut cookies
• Coconut ice cream (keto)
• Beijinhos (Brazilian Coconut kisses)
• Cocada (Brazilian coconut bars)
• Coconut flour pancakes
• Lemon coconut pound cake
• Coconut sugar cookies
• Mango coconut muffins
• Blueberry coconut oatmeal pudding
• Blanc-Mange
• Coconut creme brulee recipe

PIN & ENJOY!

The post was first published on June 12, 2013.