PANELLETS – Catalan Almond Sweets
“Panellets” are a traditional sweet from Cataluña, prepared for All Saints Day and served with moscatel or “cava,” Spanish sparkling wine. It is made of equal parts ground almonds and sugar, formed into balls and decorated with pine nuts, rolled in cocoa powder, candied cherries or coconut flakes. They can also be flavoured with coffee or cinnamon. The most popular type is the one rolled in pine nuts.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg. Almonds
- 800 grams sugar
- 1 egg
- Pine nuts
PREPARATION
1 Peel the potato and cut into quarters. Boil potato in a saucepan until cooked. Drain water and mash with a fork.
2. Blanch almonds, and then grind until almonds are a fine dust.
3. Add the sugar to the potato and the almonds and mix well until it forms a paste.
4. Roll out the paste and shape small portions into panellets (round, enlongated, etc.) Then brush with egg and roll in confectioner’s sugar.
5. For pine nut panellets, dip each ball in egg white and place in an espresso cup, add pine nuts and roll around in the cup until the pine nuts stick. Remove from the cup when all the pine nuts have stuck and then brush with egg white.
6. Place the panellets on a baking sheet previously oiled with olive oil or butter (to avoid sticking) and put in the oven preheated to 200-220 ªC, 10- 12 minutes. Turn the grill on high and use little or no heat from below to avoid burning the sugar.
TIP
I recommend setting the paste aside for 24 hours.
“Panellets” are a traditional sweet from Cataluña, prepared for All Saints Day and served with moscatel or “cava,” Spanish sparkling wine. It is made of equal parts ground almonds and sugar, formed into balls and decorated with pine nuts, rolled in cocoa powder, candied cherries or coconut flakes. They can also be flavoured with coffee or cinnamon. The most popular type is the one rolled in pine nuts.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 kg. Almonds
- 800 grams sugar
- 1 egg
- Pine nuts
PREPARATION
1 Peel the potato and cut into quarters. Boil potato in a saucepan until cooked. Drain water and mash with a fork.
2. Blanch almonds, and then grind until almonds are a fine dust.
3. Add the sugar to the potato and the almonds and mix well until it forms a paste.
4. Roll out the paste and shape small portions into panellets (round, enlongated, etc.) Then brush with egg and roll in confectioner’s sugar.
5. For pine nut panellets, dip each ball in egg white and place in an espresso cup, add pine nuts and roll around in the cup until the pine nuts stick. Remove from the cup when all the pine nuts have stuck and then brush with egg white.
6. Place the panellets on a baking sheet previously oiled with olive oil or butter (to avoid sticking) and put in the oven preheated to 200-220 ªC, 10- 12 minutes. Turn the grill on high and use little or no heat from below to avoid burning the sugar.
TIP
I recommend setting the paste aside for 24 hours.
