Empiñonados, a typical sweet from Difuntos

Preparation

1. We put the sugar in the glass and pulverize it by programming 10 seconds, speed 10. We lower the sugar from the walls towards the blades. We withdraw and reserve.

2. We chop the almonds by programming 5 seconds, speed 10. We check that they are well chopped and that it looks like sand. We went down to the blades.

3. Add the powdered sugar, the roasted sweet potato, the lemon zest to taste but without any white skin and pour 1 tablespoon of water. We grind all together for 15 seconds, speed 5.

4. We open the glass, with the fingertips we take a pinch of the dough and press slightly to check that it has the desired consistency. If it is very dry we can add another tablespoon of water but very carefully so that the dough is not too liquid.

5. We sprinkle the work table with flour. [i](Remember that it will have to be gluten free flour if you want some empiñonado suitable for celiacs). [/Yo]

6. We put the dough on the work table and put the dough together and shape it into a roll or cylinder about 10 or 12 cm long and 3 or 4 cm in diameter. We wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours.

7. Meanwhile, we toast the pine nuts in a frying pan without any oil over medium heat. At first they will take a while to get hot but when they begin to toast they must be stirred constantly so they do not burn. Remove on a flat plate and reserve to cool down to room temperature.

8. After the resting time has elapsed, we preheat the oven to 180º.

9. We remove the transparent film and cut the cylinder into portions of about 15 grams. We give them a ball shape. We take a handful of pine nuts in our hand and press them against the ball. We fill the holes with more pine nuts until the dough is barely visible. This is not an easy task, but you have to be meticulous so that our stems look good.

10. We beat the egg yolk and paint the balls with a soft kitchen brush. The yolk will make them shine and have better color so it has to be a soft varnish. They do not have to be very wet.

11. We place them on a tray lined with parchment paper and we introduce them for 10 minutes or until they have a nice uniform color. Remember that it is not necessary to go over. The dough does not need to be cooked and the pine nuts are already toasted, so it is a quick and smooth bake.