AI-generated image
Broas de batata-doce
Broas de batata-doce: soft, spiced Christmas cookies made with sweet potato
Every December, kitchens across the Beiras fill with the smell of these broas: soft, cakey cookies made with mashed sweet potato, flour, olive oil and honey, spiced with cinnamon and fennel seed and glazed with egg yolk. Families bake big batches to share with neighbours and keep in tins over the holidays. They are only lightly sweet, with a tender crumb and a shiny top. Chef's tip: dry the cooked sweet potato in the pan for a minute before mashing, as watery mash makes a sticky dough that spreads.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Boil the 1 ⅛ lb orange sweet potatoes for 15 minutes, until very soft. Drain, return to the pan over a low heat for 1 minute to steam dry, then mash smooth and leave to cool slightly.
17 minStep 2: Beat the mash with the 5 ½ oz soft brown sugar, 3 tbsp honey, ¼ cup mild olive oil, 2 eggs, 1 grated lemon zest, 2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp fennel seeds until combined.
3 minStep 3: Mix the 14 oz plain flour, 2 ⅞ oz fine cornmeal, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt, then work them into the sweet potato mix to make a soft dough that just holds its shape. Rest for 15 minutes.
17 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F and line two trays. With floured hands, shape walnut-sized pieces into ovals about 6 cm long and set them 3 cm apart.
15 minStep 5: Brush with the 1 egg yolk and bake for 20–25 minutes, until risen, deep golden and shiny, and firm on the base. A common mistake is overbaking: they should stay soft inside. Cool on a rack and store in a tin for up to 2 weeks.
22 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 140 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does broas de batata-doce take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of orange sweet potatoes?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of soft brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sopa da pedra
Almeirim, a market town in the Ribatejo, is the capital of this soup; its restaurants serve it every day, and each bowl arrives with a clean stone at the bottom, after the folk tale of a friar who 'made soup from a stone' by talking villagers into giving him everything else. This is a pork soup: red kidney beans simmer with chouriço, morcela blood sausage and a piece of pork belly, then potatoes, carrots and coriander finish it into a thick, hearty bowl. Chef's tip: cook the sausages whole and slice them at the end, so they stay juicy and don't turn the broth greasy.
Moist banana bread
The blacker the bananas, the better the loaf. This one is mixed in a single bowl with melted butter and a little brown sugar, so it's soft, deeply banana-y and keeps well for days.
American
Tarte au sucre lilloise
In Lille and across the Nord, a sugar tart is not pastry at all but a flat round of soft brioche dough, dimpled and covered with brown cassonade sugar, butter and a little egg and cream, which bakes into a sticky, caramelised top over a fluffy base. Families buy it from the boulangerie for Sunday breakfast and goûter, or bake one when guests come for coffee. The Nord's own beet sugar, vergeoise, gives it a deep, almost molasses flavour; soft dark brown sugar is the closest swap. Chef's tip: press deep dimples into the risen dough with your fingertips before adding the topping; the sugar and cream collect in them and bake into little pools of caramel.
French