PEANUT BUTTER YEMAS

We inherited the love for yemas from the Spanish who introduced these all egg yolk (yemas simply means egg yolks in Spanish) sweets to the Philippines. A lot of all egg yolk recipes were made in the olden days to find use for the leftover egg yolks from the building trade. They used the egg whites as part of the mortar in construction. Well, lucky us. These yemas has crunchy peanut butter in the soft middle and is encased in a crisp caramelized sugar shell. It is just perfect as a holiday give away. This recipe make 50 yummy yemas.

Ingredients:

1 c. condensed milk
1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
5 egg yolks
2 tbsps. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Syrup ingredients:

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Method:

Dip the formed yema balls in syrup and lay in a greased and lined baking sheet.

Blend all of the ingredients, except for the vanilla, in a pan, preferably non-stick. Cook the mixture on very low heat, while constantly stirring with a spatula, until thick (about 20 minutes). Add the vanilla, then set aside to cool at room temperature, then in the refrigerator. The mixture will thicken further upon cooling. 


When cooled, form into 1 1/4" diameter balls with oiled hands and lay on greased and lined baking pans. Refrigerate again while preparing the syrup. 


Make the syrup by mixing all the ingredients in a saucepan. Stir on low heat to dissolve the sugar. When dissolved, bring the mixture to a gentle boil without stirring. Swirl the pan every now and then. Cook until thick and caramel coloured, for about 20 minutes. Test by dropping a small amount in ice cold water. It should instantly harden. Do not let it darken because it goes on cooking even after you take it off the heat. 


Use a food warmer to prevent it from setting while you work. Using a fork, take the yema balls and dip each into the hot syrup, then leave to harden on a greased non-stick sheet. When set, wrap in cellophane.

This post is for the KULINARYA COOKING CLUB theme for December 2010: Filipino Food Gifts. 


See the posts of the other members by visiting their blogs.




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