A sweet treat made with flour, milk and butter, polvorón is another legacy of Spanish colonialism. Derived from polvo, the Spanish word for dust, Filipino-style polvorón is made by mixing together the ingredients then molding the mixture using a special tool.
There are many variations of polvorón, some contain pinipig (toasted pounded rice), nuts, cocoa powder and, recently, chocolate-coated polvorón has become very popular.
That’s what the mold looks like. This is oval-shaped and rather small. There are larger sizes and there are round molds too. There is a spring in the handle that, when pressed, pushes the plate on the bottom of the mold. You’ll see that in action below.
To use the polvoron mold, pack the mold with the polvorón mixture. Push the mold handle to release the compressed polvorón.
Traditionally, polvorón is wrapped individually in small squares of colored cellophane or Japanese paper. But since the polvorón I made were for home consumption, I skipped the wrapping part. For presentation purposes (for the photos), I used mini cupcake pan paper liners.
The polvorón will keep in the freezer for several weeks. At room temperature, I have no idea.
Here is the recipe for the basic polvorón.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup powdered full cream milk
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup butter melted and cooled
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First, prepare the polvorón mold. Make sure it’s clean and dry.
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Toast the flour in an oil-free pan until lightly browned and nutty in aroma. Cool completely. Otherwise, the milk and sugar will melt if mixed with the hot flour and you’ll end up with a pasty mixture. So, cool the flour.
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When cool, sift together the flour, milk, sugar and salt into a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix until well-blended.
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Fill the mold with the mixture. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the mold to make sure it is firmly packed.
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Push the mold handle to release the polvorón. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.
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I like to stack my polvorón in a container, separating the layers with non-stick paper. Then, I freeze the polvorón prior to wrapping.
