Macanese Beijinhos de Coco (Coconut Cookies)

Though writer and chef Rosa de Carvalho Ross was born and raised in Hong Kong, her family has roots in Macao almost as old as the region itself. As a child, she returned there often, and recalls eating these coconut cookies, which are traditionally packaged in lacy paper wrappers called cortadinhas at weddings and other celebrations. “We used to sit around the kitchen table at night and cut them until our fingers were sore,” says Ross of the lacy trappings. “Sadly, it’s a dying tradition today.” For her daughter Sarah’s wedding, the author’s sisters, Raquel and Monica, surprised the bride with dozens of cortadinhas. “They had worked for many nights,” Ross wrote, “laughing and gossiping and cutting, to bring us a piece of our past.” Ross shared her recipe for the popular Macanese treat in an article for our March 1999 issue.