Healthy Panellets
Panellets are the traditional sweets eaten during the Fall in Catalonia, to celebrate Todos los Santos. This recipe is for healthy panellets: almonds, sweet potato and dates as the base.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet potato (220gr cooked)
- 12 dates unpitted
- 230 gr almond flour you can make your own by grinding/food-processing almonds
- 1/2 lemon's juice
- 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder
- grated coconut
- pinenuts or roughly crushed cashews
Instructions
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Peel and chop the sweet potato into equal-sized cubes. Bake at 200ºC for 30 mins or until cooked and soft when testing with a fork. You could alternatively boil, steam or microwave the sweet potato until cooked.
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Soak the unpitted dates in boiled water for 5 minutes. Strain the water (or save to make sweet Chai tea with!) and mash with a fork or food processor.
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When the sweet potato is cooked, weigh it to 220 gr and place it in a bowl. Mash it with a fork until it becomes puré.
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Add the dates, almond flour and lemon zest. Mix well and leave the dough to cool down in the fridge for at least 20 mins.
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Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts, to make 3 types of panellets.
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Chocolate panellets: mix 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder with 1/3 of the dough. Using your hands, create small, equal-sized balls (ping-pong ball or smaller). Gently flatten each on with your hand, then press a hazelnut in the centre.
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Coconut panellets: create small, ping-pong-sized balls, then coat in grated coconut.
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Nut panellets: create small, ping-pong-sized balls, then coat in pinenuts or crushed cashews. Gently press the nuts into the dough.
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Bake all panellets at 180ºC for 12-13 mins, or until golden brown (check the nut panellets for feedback).
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Allow them to cool down before serving. Enjoy as a dessert or snack!
Notes
How to store
- Keep outside of the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Store in the fridge and take out 1h before eating them, to that they’re at room temperature.
- Freeze them! And enjoy them anytime during the next 3-6 months.
Tips
- Make your own almond flour: simply use a food processor to grind your almonds (with or without skin) into a fine flour-like powder. Typically almond flour is sold more expensive (€/kg) than regular almonds.
- Are you allergic to almonds? Substitute for other nuts you might be able to eat e.g. walnuts, cashews, macadamia…
- You can sub the sweet potato for regular potato.
- Make sure to check on your panellets as they bake to avoid too much toasting on the coconut and nuts (might become a little bitter).
Todos los Santos, the tradition behind panellets
Panellets are one of the typical Catalan sweets for this particular time of the year: Todos los Santos (or All Saints), which is celebrated Nov 1st in Spain, following the Catholic tradition. Sugar, almond and egg are the usual base recipe, and from there you can create endless variations: pinenuts (the most traditional one), almonds, coconut, chocolate… We eat them throughout the Fall, but they are specially prepared for this weekend, to celebrate those who are now gone from our lives. To honour and remember them, we visit the place where we burried them and then enjoy a meal with family or other loved ones. Panellets are typically served as a dessert, with coffee or tea.
In this recipe, we are going for a healthier version (less refined sugar, more natural sweetness and higher proportion of veg). I have chosen to use sweet potato instead of the sometimes applied potato. Instead of sugar, we will use dates. And we will avoid using the egg to make it vegan and therefore enjoyable for all (or most) people.
Last year, I had the intention to share a similar recipe, but I never did. Truth is, I’ve been gathering and accumulating so many delicious recipes this past year… For some misterious reason I haven’t been sharing them – but that’s a topic for another post.
I was in Casa Cuadrau (Huesca) during the All Saints weekend almost a year ago and we were lucky enough to enjoy several delicious dishes that are typical of this time of year, from different places in the world. Dani surprised us with “chiles en nogada”, a flavourful Mexican dish that is usually enjoyed in Septemebr and October, and he also prepared a “Pan de Muertos”, an orange-flavoured sweet bread. I made “panellets” and we all ate and honoured our “lost” ones. Katya set up a colourful altar in the shala, where we all placed photos and elements that our loved ones used to enjoy when they were in this life. I placed a photo of Isabel, my granny, and a paintbrush, to remember her love for oil painting.
One year later, I am back here in Casa Cuadrau, a place I can call home. Every time I come, the experience and the house feels different: people come and go. Karmayogis, staff and visitors (like us!) form unique constellations, with our own lights and shadows, practices and stories. It’s beautiful and special. The house, the space, is a vessel through which we express, learn and know each other… and ourselves. I love it here.
Tips to make panellets
- Make your own almond flour: simply use a food processor to grind your almonds (with or without skin) into a fine flour-like powder. Typically almond flour is sold more expensive (€/kg) than regular almonds.
- Are you allergic to almonds? Substitute for other nuts you might be able to eat e.g. walnuts, cashews, macadamia…
- You can sub the sweet potato for regular potato.
- Make sure to check on your panellets as they bake to prevent the nuts or coconut to overtoast, as they could become a little bitter.
What could you prepare for a Todos los Santos meal?
When eating with family or loved ones, it’s really nice to cook something that is delicious, comforting and practical. Bonus points if there are leftovers and you can enjoy the dish later in the week or even freeze some. Here are some ideas:
- Happy Bear Bake
- Greek moussaka
- Vegetable paella
- Baked bolognese and cheese macaroni
- Lentil meetballs with tomato sofrito sauce
In your kitchen
If you try this recipe, please let me know how it went in the comments section.
If you share it on social media, I’d love to see it! Tag me @silvia.cooks and use #SilviaCooks.
Bon profit!
Silvia
