Panellets
Panellets: Catalonia's All Saints' marzipan sweets rolled in pine nuts
For the Castanyada on 31 October and All Saints' Day, Catalan families roast chestnuts, eat sweet potatoes and make panellets: little balls of almond marzipan, bound with a spoonful of cooked potato, then rolled in pine nuts, glazed with egg and baked until golden. The pine-nut ones are the classic, and children often help roll them. They are eaten with a glass of sweet wine or a cup of coffee. Chef's tip: wet the marzipan balls lightly with egg white before rolling; it is the glue that holds the pine nuts on.
- Total time
- 57 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 3 ½ oz potato until completely tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, mash very smoothly and leave to cool.
20 minStep 2: Mix the cold potato with 9 oz ground almonds, 7 oz caster sugar and 1 tsp lemon zest, then knead with your hands into a smooth, firm paste that does not stick. If it is sticky, add a spoonful more ground almonds. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) and line a baking tray.
Step 4: Roll the paste into balls the size of a walnut, about 28 g each, to make 24. Lightly beat the white of 1 egg, dip each ball into it and roll in 5 ½ oz pine nuts, pressing gently so they stick all over.
20 minStep 5: Set the panellets on the tray and brush with the beaten yolk. Bake for 8–12 minutes, until the pine nuts are golden brown. A common mistake is wandering off: the nuts go from golden to burnt in a minute.
12 minStep 6: Cool on the tray. They keep for 4–5 days in an airtight tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does panellets take?
- About 57 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 potato?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
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