On November 1st, All Saints Day, these sweets are customarily eaten throughout Catalonia. Almonds that have been cut can be replaced with pine nuts. To vary the flavor of the combination, you can also add cocoa powder or chocolate drink mix. And when you eat them, they are intended to be soft.
| Prep Time: | 1 hr |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 15 mins |
| Servings: | 24 |
| Yield: | 24 cookies |
Ingredients
- 1 pound small potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup chopped almonds
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. When done, you can stab them with a fork, and they will fall off easily. Drain, cool slightly, and peel.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place 1 cup of almonds into a food processor, and grind to a fine powder. Add sugar to almonds, and process to mix. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add potatoes to the almond mixture, and mash together until it becomes a very thick paste. Roll into 1 inch balls, and roll the balls in chopped almonds. Place cookies on a baking sheet, and brush with egg white.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until the tops are brown. Gently remove from the baking sheets, and cool on a plate in the refrigerator. Serve cold. They are supposed to be squishy when you eat them.
Reviews
The soft texture the potato gives makes it so much more succulent. Ive seen a few recipes for a mostly almond based panellet, but Ive worked in Catulunya making these treats and other catalan specialties and we used mostly potato in a recipe similar to this. And they were delicious.
Oh! Panellets! They can be costumized with other ingredients, as you will see in any Catalan confectionary around November 1. Try adding some espresso to the dough and not covering them in anything. Or substitute the almonds for grated coconut… Mmmmm…