These Catalan treats are a delightful snack topped with pine nuts, coconut and sometimes almonds—perfect for any occasion! Made with sweet potato marzipan, they’re effortless to prepare and irresistibly delicious.
Panellets, which translates to ‘little breads’ in Catalan, hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Catalonia, Spain. These delightful confections are traditionally prepared for All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and the Day of the Dead (November 2nd). Crafted with love and care, panellets are part of the region’s culinary heritage. You’ll discover the joy of bringing a piece of Catalan tradition to your kitchen.
Marzipan
At the heart of panellets lies a luscious almond paste, marzipan. This exquisite base is the foundation for various toppings, allowing you to customize your panellets. Popular topping choices include pine nuts, coconut, almonds, coffee, and more. Among them, the pine nut variation reigns supreme, capturing the essence of traditional Catalan flavours.
With or Without Sweet Potato
When preparing panellets, you can include or exclude sweet potatoes from the recipe. While some believe that the best results are achieved without potatoes, others argue that the potato version offers superior adherence for the pine nuts or almonds to cling to.
The Technique
An essential step in creating the perfect panellets is allowing the almond paste to rest in the refrigerator for a day before shaping the confections. This rest period allows the almond flour’s natural oils to meld together, creating a beautifully delectable texture.
This recipe also makes lovely little treats for Christmas, and the kids can help. The coconut one in Catalonia is usually pyramidal, and the pine nuts panellets are usually round; the almond one is cylindrical, but ultimately, its shape is up to you.
Storage
You can keep the panellets at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days. If you intend to freeze them, you can form them, add the topping, and freeze them this way. Let them unfreeze for 10 minutes before adding the egg wash and popping them in the oven.
Other Catalan Dishes
So, let’s make those little treats!
Pine Nuts and Coconut Panellets
Ingredients
- 150 g almond flour
- 150 g sugar
- 100 g sweet potato (cooked)
- 2 egg whites
- lemon zest
Toppings
- 200 g pine nuts
- 200 g shredded coconut
- 200 g sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Start by mashing the cooked sweet potato in a plate until it makes a paste.
- Add the sweet potato purée, almond flour, sugar and zest to a big bowl and mix well.
- Add 2 tbsp of water to the mix and work with your hands until a homogeneous mixture.
- Cover with a plastic film and let set in the fridge overnight.
- Next day, make small 2 cm balls (or other shapes) with the paste, add to the egg white, then in the pine nuts (coconut, almond) and cover the balls.
- When they are all done, add a tiny bit of sugar to the egg white and mix; brush the panellets with the egg white left and leave them on a parchment-covered rack.
- Cook in the oven at 180°C (350F°) for 10-12 minutes until the balls are golden. (keep an eye on them)
- Let them cool and get firm before serving.
Nutrition
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13 Comments
I’m definitely adding these to my Christmas baking list. I love that they have a history and tradition behind them!
A long history… and soon a new one in your Canadian kitchen;)
Have to second Elaine and say I am definitely adding these to my holiday baking list! Thanks for sharing the history of this sweet treat 🙂
De nada;)
It’s interesting to learn how traditional foods from other countries and cultures are made. Thank you for sharing this. As a bonus, I’m assuming these are gluten-free in their original form!
Yes totally gluten free and yummy treats;)
What wonderful (and cute!) little treats. I’ve kind of always left holiday baking to others, but I could see these being a very fun little snack/dessert to make, whether it’s in November or December. I’m quite partial to pine nuts myself so those ones are really calling to me, and they seem like they’d be a welcome change from the more spice-laden and/or sugary treats common in the winter months. Thanks for exposing me to these! I’m always so excited to learn about new food traditions, and I love the background you’ve given here. Cheers.
Thanks for the comment! Really appreciate!
What interesting treats. I have never heard of Panellets before. They sound like something I would enjoy very much! I hope to try them soon.
Have a fantastic weekend!
Thsnks
these remind me of an dessert my childhood boyfriends mom would make. they are from switzerland and while i havent had panellets yet they do sound like the perfect dessert.
I love pine nuts in sweets! Nice bite for sure!
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