Easy Spanish Panellets Recipe

You should fasten your seatbelts because in this article, we will present you with a cookie recipe that is a real roller coaster.

The ingredients are almost unpredictable and maybe if you see them listed you won’t think they are for a cookie recipe.

We assure you that you are about to learn how to make one of the most delicious Spanish desserts in all of Spain: Panellets.

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Maybe you have already heard about them or you were even lucky enough to eat them, but with the help of this article, you can learn how to do it yourself in the comfort of your home.

Background of the Dish

Panellets are Spanish desserts that can be made in different flavors, but the dough’s ingredients are usually the same: ground almonds, egg, and sweet potato.

Among all the pine nut cookies recipes, the one with the panellets is one of the oldest and is believed to have derived from an ancient Arab recipe (because of the number of ground almonds used in it).

The good thing about panellets is that they are cheap, easy to make, and can be eaten at any time of the day, any of the twelve months of the year.

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Things You’ll Need for Panellets 

To make this Spanish dessert you need to use egg, sweet potato (or some similar vegetable, or canned vegetable puree), ground almonds, sugar, and the typical pine nuts.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (200gr) ground almonds
• 1 cup (100gr) sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups (150gr) powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (200gr) pine nuts
• 1 lemon
• 1 egg

How to Make Panellets  – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this pine nut cookie recipe you have to cook the sweet potato with skin in the microwave for about 3 minutes in a glass container with a lid. This will prevent the pastry sweets from absorbing water (that would happen if you boil it).

2. Once the sweet potato is cooked, peel it while it is still hot. You can do it with a knife so as not to burn yourself.

3. Make a puree with that sweet potato. You could skip these first steps if you choose to buy canned sweet potato puree, but it won’t be as tasty as an entirely homemade pine nut cookie.

4. Now wash the lemon and grate the skin, without reaching the white part (it gives a bitter taste). Mix the zest with the sugar.

5. After that, mix the potato with the sugar and zest. Add the ground almonds and knead until you get a homogeneous mixture.

6. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can reduce the cooling time in this Catalan recipe if you take them to the freezer for just 30 minutes or one hour.

7. Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C) for 15 minutes.

8. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking tray.

9. In a bowl, beat the egg well. Place a plate next to it with the pine nuts.

10. Take the dough out of the fridge and separate them into pieces of about 15 grams (you don’t have to be 100% precise, but it will help to have the same size in all of them). Roll each piece into a ball.

11. Dip the balls in egg mixture and then cover them well with pine nuts while you give them a round shape with your hands. You can press a little so that the pine nuts stick well to this Spanish cookie.

12. Now arrange the panellets on the baking tray and lightly brush each one with egg so that they get a golden color on top.

13. For the final step, bake for 10 minutes until the pine nuts are golden. Wait until they warm up and you can serve them.

Substitution of Ingredients

The ingredients of these cookies with pine nuts are so easy to find that it would be strange that you would need to make any changes, anyway, there are some.

You could use regular sugar instead of powdered sugar. If you are looking for another less sweet flavor profile, then we recommend using brown sugar.

You can be inspired by other popular seasonal desserts and instead of using sweet potato, you can use pumpkin.

Since we are talking about classic dessert inspiration, you can choose to add flavorings such as 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg.

Also, you can use ground hazelnuts, chocolate chips, or any other candid fruits you love and you can also play with the shape as well.

Tips on Serving Panellets 

The Hispanic desserts are fantastic since you can serve them at any time of the day.

Of course, it’s a perfect dessert to eat a few minutes after lunch or dinner, but you don’t have to limit yourself to that.

You can serve these pine nuts cookies for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.

You could even put them in a Ziploc bag and carry them in your bag or purse to have a snack on the go.

These ground almond sweets are a perfect snack since you can easily transport them and eat them in just two bites (in addition to being delicious).

If you enjoyed Panellets, make sure you try other Spanish desserts like Spanish almond cookies, Spanish custard dessert, pestinos, or Spanish tortas. 

How to Store Panellets 

When talking about Spanish dessert recipes, freezing is not usually the most chosen way of saving them, but in the case of these panellets, you can do it.

Let them come to room temperature, put the Spanish sweets in a Tupperware container or a clean bag, and freeze them for up to 30 days.

Then let them thaw the night before eating them in the fridge.

The easiest way to store these Spanish pastries is to leave them on a covered plate or Tupperware on the counter, where they can last up to 5 days.

If they get hard you can heat the pine nut cookies in the oven, or dip them in milk or a cup of hot tea or coffee.

Recipe Card: Panellets

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