Ingredients
-
3/4 pounds sweet potatoesscrubbed
-
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
-
1 lemon lemon zest

-
half of an orange orange zest
-
2-3 tablespoons Gingerfinely chopped candied
-
1 cup coconutshredded dried
-
1 1/2 cups almond mealsuper fine blanched
-
3/4 cups finely ground Cornmeal
-
1/2 cup all purpose flour
-
1/4 teaspoon Salt
-
2 large eggs
-
1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water(optional)
-
1 large Egg Yolksfor brushing
Directions
How to Make Broas Castelares:
- Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and bake in the oven at 400° F for 45 minutes or until soft.
- Let them cool a few minutes then scrape out the flesh.
- Run the sweet potato flesh through a potato ricer.
- Place it in a small-medium pot with the sugar.
- Stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the lemon zest, orange zest, and candied ginger.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Remove from the heat and add all the remaining ingredients, except for the eggs, orange blossom water, and egg yolk.
- Stir to thoroughly combine.
- Then, add the eggs and orange blossom water and stir to thoroughly combined.
- Let the mixture cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors fuse and the dough firm up.
-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-
Use a spoon to scoop out the dough and roll into balls about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter.
-
Then shape each ball into an oval with tapered ends.
-
Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and gently press them just to very slightly flatten them (see images in blog post) and brush them with the egg yolk.
-
Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool completely.
-
Makes about 30 cookies. These freeze well in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
