• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
CASA Veneracion

CASA Veneracion

Connie Veneracion Cooks Modern Filipino

  • Devour Asia
  • Aging Like Wine
  • Flavors of Chicken
  • Search
  • Recipes
    • Salads
    • Superb Soups
    • Main Courses
      • Rice Bowl Meals
      • Mighty Meaty
      • Chicken, Duck & Turkey
      • Cooked With Vegetables
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Meatless
    • Rice & Grains
    • Noodles
    • Bread & Breakfast
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Sweets & Desserts
  • Devour Asia
  • Aging Like Wine
  • About Us
  • Privacy
  • Search
  • Salads
  • Soups
  • Main Courses
    • Rice Bowl Meals
    • Chicken, Duck & Turkey
    • Mighty Meaty
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Cooked With Vegetables
    • Meatless
  • Sides
  • Breakfast
  • Noodles
  • Rice
  • Sweets
You are here: Home / Sweets & Desserts / Pastillas de Leche

Pastillas de Leche

Perfect for holiday gift-giving (or selling), pastillas de leche is so easy to make if you start with homemade dulce de leche.

Pastillas de Leche

For non-Filipinos, “pastillas” is the generic term for milk-based confections. Often shaped like little logs, pastillas can also be bought in jars. Pastillas-making used to be a town industry in San Miguel, Bulacan. As I say “used to be” because the last time we were in San Miguel, there weren’t as many makers and sellers as there were when I was a child.

Pastillas are sold by the box in so many pasalubong establishments so it doesn’t seem to make sense making them at home. But, once you taste homemade pastillas — without extenders to lower the cost of production — you will be hooked at the pure creamy texture and the not-so-cloying sweetness.

All the ingredients are pantry staples. If you’ve made dulce de leche ahead of time, cooking time is very short. In fact, cooling the pastillas mixture prior to shaping them takes longer than the actual cooking.

Pastillas de Leche

Made with dulce de leche and powdered full cream milk with a bit of butter and salt, pastillas de leche in a box will make a wonderful Christmas gift for your loved ones and friends.
Close-up of Pastillas de Leche
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Modern Filipino
Keyword: Christmas Food Gift, Pastillas
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Cooling time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 24 pastillas
Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

  • ½ can dulce de leche (see notes after the recipe)
  • 1 cup powdered full cream milk
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons full cream milk (the kind you drink)
  • 1 generous pinch salt
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (you may need more)

Instructions

  • In a pan over low heat, stir all the ingredients, except the sugar, until smooth.
  • Cool the mixture to room temperature.
  • Place the sugar in a shallow bowl.
  • Form the cooked milk mixture into small logs.
    Forming Pastillas de Leche
  • Drop the shaped pastillas directly into the sugar and roll to coat every inch of the surface.
    Rolling Pastillas de Leche in Sugar
  • Arrange the pastillas de leche on a rack and leave to dry a bit before wrapping.

Cook’s Notes

Why dulce del leche? Why not just cooked sweetened condensed milk with powdered milk? Because dulce de leche tastes ten times better. The caramelization elevates the flavor of milk. Dulce de leche is also firmer so the pastillas do not turn out mushy like mashed potatoes with too much milk.
For best results, use good quality condensed milk for making dulce de leche. We use Milkmaid at home.
The yield specified above is an approximate. Our pastillas were on the small side, less than half an inch in diameter and only about two inches long. How many pastillas de leche you will be able to make with the ingredients given above depends on how much smaller or larger you shape your pastillas.
Close-up of Pastillas de Leche
Do you like seriously Asian food?Check out Devour.Asia!

If you cooked this dish (or made this drink) and you want to share your masterpiece, please use your own photos and write the cooking steps in your own words.

Chicken salpicao sprinkled with sliced scallions

Chicken Salpicao

Pork, mushrooms and green beans adobo in serving plate

Pork, Mushrooms and Green Beans Adobo

Tilapia escabeche (Filipino sweet sour fish)

Tilapia Escabeche

Pork Spring Rolls (Lumpiang Shanghai)

Lumpiang Shanghai

How to Cook Okra Guisado

Okra Guisado

Spicy pompano and green papaya soup

Pompano and Green Papaya Soup

10/05/2020 : See more in Modern Filipino Sweets & Desserts

About Connie Veneracion

Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 29 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes we have cooked at home since 2003.

Previous Post: « Sitaw Guisado (Sauteed String Beans) with Shrimps and Quail Eggs Recipe Sitaw Guisado (Sauteed Yardlong Beans)
Next Post: Lugaw (Filipino-style Rice Congee) Lugaw (Filipino-style Rice Congee) »

Sidebar

RSS Devour Asia

  • Chicken Katsu Curry
  • Salmon Teriyaki
  • Vietnamese Pork and Pineapple Stir Fry (Muc Xao Khom)

RSS Aging Like Wine

  • Easy Tasty Risotto for Home Cooks
  • How to Choose and Use a Cocktail Muddler
  • Homemade Slow Cooker Corned Beef

RSS Flavors of Chicken

  • Chinese-inspired Lemon Orange Chicken
  • Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Chicken and Beans Soup
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Search

Everything © Connie, Speedy, Sam & Alex Veneracion. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.