#88_Polvoron

Polvoron is one the many favorite confections in the Philippines.
They are buttery, fragile and literally melt-in-your-mouth powdered candies.
They are usually wrapped in papel de hapon, (Japanese paper) a kind of paper that are also used in making kites and dressing up Christmas lanterns or parol. Since I don't have access to that kind of paper, I used the tissue paper that are used for gift bags.
They work so well and the colors are wonderful. I love them!!

Typically the ends of the wrappers are twisted up but my mother always tucked them under. So that's what I do.
Cut the wrapping papers to 5" x 6 1/2" squares.

Polvoron has only 4 basic ingredients:

Here are the ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups powdered skim milk
2 cups white sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened but not melted

My mother used to make these with Star margarine back home instead of butter. I wonder if they still have Star margarine over there?

The key to a flavorful polvoron is toasting the flour which is the most tedious part of the process. The rest of the procedure is really easy.

How to toast the flour:

Place the flour in a dry (no oil) skillet or wok, over medium heat. Constantly stir the flour for about 20 minutes until it is lightly browned. Let it cool a bit.

To the toasted flour add in the sugar and the powdered milk. Mix them all together, then strain using a fine sieve to get rid of lumps. To the strained mixture, add in the softened butter and mix thoroughly using your 2 hands. If you want to add pinipig (rice crispies) or ground peanuts, this is the best time to mix them in.

This Polvoron Mold
is retractable so it is a breeze to unmold them.
The moulds come in different sizes and shapes like oval or heart shapes, etc.

Fill the polvoron mould with the mixture and press it down onto a flat and very smooth surface like a plate, moving it in a circular motion as you press down, and make sure that the molded polvoron is compressed so they will not crumble easily.
Refrigerate shaped polvoron for at least 2 hours before wrapping them.

Moulded polvoron ready to be wrapped.

This recipe yields 40 pieces using the 5/8 inch thick mould,
unless you keep putting some in your mouth as you wrap them, like I do...
I think everybody does that because it is
very temptingly and irresistibly sweet!!!

NOTES:

1) If you want to add some peanut, make sure to use the toasted, unsalted ones and crush them using mortar and pestle.

2) Somebody had mentioned to me that a food processor might work to blend in the butter into the flour mixture. I'll have to give that a try.

Special Polvoron...
flavored with candy bars. Click here