Panelletes

Yesterday, Sandra showed me how to make these cookies which are traditionally made in Catalonia around Halloween time. The exciting thing for me is they are gluten-free. They can be made with either sweet potato or regular potato but here you can only get the sweet potato around Halloween.

Big Batch/ Small Batch
(About 4 dozen) /(About 2 dozen)

1 kg. ground almonds /250g ground almonds (2 cups?)
800 g - 1 kg. sugar /200 - 250g sugar (1 - 1 1/3 cup?)
200g potato /50g potato
1/4 L water /62 ml water
grated rind of 1 lemon/ grated rind of 1/4 lemon
4 eggs separated /1 or 2 eggs separated
Your choice of pine nuts, coconut, sliced almonds, cocoa, dried fruit, etc...

1. Boil potatoes in their skins and let them cool. Peel and mash.

2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except the eggs. We found it was easiest to use our hands and add the water a little at a time (it might not need that much.) Keep mixing till a smooth, soft dough is formed.

3. The recipe say to form the dough into egg-sized balls but I don't know what size of eggs they are thinking of. They should be more like golf balls, if that.

4. Lightly beat the egg white and dip balls in it.

5. Roll balls in either pine nuts, sliced almonds, coconut, cocoa, or anything else that tastes yummy.

6. Place balls on a greased cookie sheet and brush with slightly beaten egg yoke.

7. Bake in a 180 - 200 C oven (375F?) for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

*Please note: Everything in our recipe is measured in weight so when I say "cups" it's a rough guess. I made the small batch and it was pleanty.