To a pot over medium heat, add the condensed milk, 1 cup of desiccated coconut (about 80 grams or 2.8 oz), 1 tablespoon of butter (14 grams), 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean extract or paste, and a pinch of salt.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened (about 6-10 minutes). How to tell if the mixture is thick enough: Pull the spatula through the middle of the mixture, and it should take a couple of seconds for the mixture to pull back together.

Transfer the mixture to a plate and let it cool down. Once it’s at room temperature, cover it and put it in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Set up your beijinhos rolling station: put 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut in a bowl or on a plate, get a tablespoon to measure the mixture, and get some butter to grease your hands so the beijinhos don’t stick to your hands.

Grease your hands with some butter and then get one tablespoon at a time of the bejinhos mixture and roll it until you form a ball.

Roll the balls in the desiccated coconut. Refrigerate them until ready to serve.