These delicious “cookies” are typically consumed in Catalonia, Spain, on All-Saints Day (November 1), which falls around the middle of October. Although they can also be found made with almond or coconut, the classic ones are prepared with pine nuts.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 24 |
| Yield: | 24 cookies |
Ingredients
- ⅓ pound potatoes, cubed
- 3 ½ cups ground almonds
- 2 ½ cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¾ cup pine nuts
- 2 egg yolks, beaten
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 2 egg whites, beaten
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a small saucepan; cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender; drain. Mash the potatoes with a fork. Allow to cool.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly butter a baking sheet.
- Combine the cooled potatoes and almonds. Slowly add the sugar while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir in the lemon zest; continue mixing with your hands. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the pine nuts; brush with egg yolk. Form each ball into a crescent shape. Cover each cookie with cornstarch and then brush with egg white. Arrange cookies on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 250 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 6 mg |
| Sugars | 22 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I must have done something wrong. After adding the sugar to the potatoes, I couldn’t get a dough. It was more like soup. But I cooked it anyhow. It tasted good, but it remained a gooey mess.
We made this for my daughters Spanish project. These were really soft and hard to roll in the pine nuts. Some kept their crescent shape during baking and some melted. Maybe that’s what the cornstarch is for, to soak up any excess liquid so it doesn’t melt. The lemon was a little overpowering. Taste and texture-wise it was like eating the inside of a fig newton but with nuts and I do not like fig newtons or it’s like the filling of baklava. It caramelized on the bottom so it stuck to the pan and when we removed them individually, they fell apart. We had to reshape them for the spanish project pictures. I’d suggest parchment paper to anyone making this. Different cultures have different tastes but I don’t think I’ll make this again. I gave it 3 stars only because my greek and latino co-workers asked for the recipe.
Mine were also a little soft and gooey, but I thought they were delicious. No-one could guess they were made with potatoes!!
I must have done something dreadfully wrong. My cookies melted down to nothing and were a flat gooey mess.
I must have done something dreadfully wrong. My cookies melted down to nothing and were a flat gooey mess.
PLEASE NOTE: while this recipe was ‘edited’ there were some misinterpretations. Please see below for corrections The pine nuts should be WHOLE no chopped! Combine the ingredients as advised, then see variations below: For pine nuts Combine the pinenuts with the egg white and mix. They should be lightly coated. It there is too much egg left over, add more pine nuts. Form the dough into 1” balls. Roll each ball in corn starch and then in pine nuts. Finish by brushing each ball with egg yolk. For coconut Mix ½ of the coconut in the dough then form into a pyramid shape. Coat each panellet with remaining coconut and brush the top of the pyramid with the egg yolk. For almonds Combine the chopped almond with the egg white and mix. They should be lightly coated. It there is too much egg left over, add more chopped almonds. Form the dough into crescent moon shapes or rolls. Coat each shape in corn starch then roll in the chopped almonds which have been in egg white. Finish each shape and brushing with egg yolk. Place on a buttered baking sheet and bake at bake at 220C for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden. Serve at room temperature.