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Charamuscas
Guanajuato's twisted piloncillo taffy
Around Day of the Dead in Guanajuato city, sweet sellers display charamuscas pulled and shaped into skulls, mummies (a nod to the town's famous museum) and simple twists, glossy amber and wrapped in cellophane. The everyday ones are rope-like spirals of pulled piloncillo, chewy then brittle, with a deep molasses taste. Pulling the hot sugar is a two-person job and great fun with older children; younger ones should watch. Chef's tip: wear clean rubber kitchen gloves rubbed with oil; you can handle the sugar sooner and much more comfortably.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Brush a marble slab, heatproof worktop or large baking tray generously with 1 tbsp neutral oil.
Step 2: Put 9 oz piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar, 3 ½ oz white sugar, ½ cup water and ½ tsp lime juice in a heavy pan over a medium heat and stir until dissolved. Then boil without stirring for 12–15 minutes, until it reaches 250°F, or a drop in cold water forms a firm ball that only just holds a dent.
15 minStep 3: Take off the heat, stir in ½ tsp vanilla extract and pour onto the oiled surface. Leave 3–4 minutes, folding the edges into the middle with an oiled spatula, until it is cool enough to touch with oiled gloves.
4 minStep 4: Pull the sugar out into a rope, fold it back on itself and pull again, for 5–8 minutes, until it turns from dark brown to a glossy golden amber and starts to stiffen. Common mistake: pulling it when still too hot or too thin in places; it burns your hands or snaps.
8 minStep 5: Quickly roll into ropes 1 cm thick, cut into 15 cm lengths with oiled scissors and twist each into a spiral. Let them harden for 30 minutes, then wrap individually in cellophane or baking paper, as they turn sticky in humid air.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 110 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does charamuscas take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of piloncillo or dark muscovado sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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