Dry roast the desiccated coconut in a medium sized frying pan till it is pale golden, and you can smell the nuttiness of the coconut. Make sure to stir the coconut as it can burn very quickly.
Take the coconut off the heat, and place in a medium sized bowl.
Let it cool for a few minutes and then add the cardamom powder, along with half of the condensed milk. Stir through, and then add the rest of the condensed milk little by little.
The dough should be thick, and it should be easy to form balls out of the dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more coconut. If the dough is too dry, add another tablespoon of condensed milk.
Add oil / butter / ghee to your hands, and then scoop a little of the coconut mixture to make a ball out of it. Do the same for all the coconut mixture.
Roll the coconut ladoo in your preferred toppings. I have used desiccated coconut, pistachio powder, freeze dried strawberries, and rose petals.
The coconut ladoos can be stored in an airtight container for about a week. Make sure they are kept in a cool place. If the weather is warm, keep them in the fridge. This recipe makes about 18 - 20 coconut ladoos. The serving size keeps into account 1 coconut ladoo per serving.