How to make a panellets of Christmas pine nuts
If you live in Catalonia you will probably know that, today, it is possible to find a wide variety of panellets, for all tastes and all flavors, although there is no doubt that the classic and traditional are the typical pinecone panellets. The truth is that they are a typical sweet not only of Catalonia, but we can also find it in other areas of Spain as for example is the case of Valencia, Aragon, the Principality of Andorra and the Balearic Islands.
Although traditionally they are elaborated to enjoy them on November 1st, All Saints Day, they also become a typical Christmas dessert that is enjoyed in many homes and homes, and which in fact stand out for being extremely easy to make.
If we look for its origin, we will probably find them already in the 18th century, when they were consumed as a blessed meal in order to be shared after religious celebrations. Thus, for example, at that time the panellets of the Santa Cruz or the panellets of San Marcos were already distinguished. However, it is believed that they come from the Arab pastry due mainly to its composition based on almonds and the very influence of the Arab culture.
Anyway, the truth is that since then panellets have become a very popular typical sweet. In fact, as Baró de Maldà dates back to 1807, they were tremendously popular and it was very common to find street stalls selling sweets as their main product.
What are panellets and what are they?
Basically They consist of a sweet dough in the shape of a ball that is made with raw ground almonds, sugar, egg and grated zest. lemon. The outside is coated with egg white and then a layer of pine nuts is placed. Finally the sweet is baked and then let it cool.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this note, although the traditional panellets are those prepared with almonds, sugar, egg, lemon zest and pine nuts, today we can find a wide variety of recipes: with chocolate, pistachios, orange, coffee , quince ...
Recipe for Christmas panellets
Ingredients you need:
- 500 gr. of raw almonds (ground)
- 100 gr. of cooked sweet potato
- 500 gr. of sugar glas
- 2 egg whites
- 30 gr. of water
- The zest of a lemon
Elaboration of the Christmas panellets:
First of all let's proceed to bake the sweet potato. To do this, cut it into pieces and cook in a saucepan with water, at medium temperature until tender. Then make a puree with it.
In a large bowl mix the ground almonds with the icing sugar and lemon zest.
Preheat the oven to the grill at 170 ° C, and cover a baking tray with greaseproof paper (to avoid sticking).
Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks and whisk them well. Add the beaten whites to the previous dough and knead until you get the right texture. Add the sweet potato puree and mix well again. Now let the dough rest for a few hours.
Now form balls with the dough, paint with the egg yolk and sprinkle with pine nuts. Place them carefully on the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Finally remove them from the oven and let them cool.
Note: If you want to make them even more Christmas you can sprinkle a bit of icing sugar over the serving time. ThemesChristmas Christmas Recipes
