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Broas de mel
Broas de mel: Madeira's spiced sugarcane-molasses Christmas biscuits
Alongside bolo de mel, every Madeiran Christmas table has a tin of broas de mel: small, round, dark biscuits made with the same sugarcane molasses and spices, crisp at the edge and slightly chewy inside. Children are given them when they go door to door on the Missas do Parto mornings before Christmas, and they are good dunked in coffee or tea. Chef's tip: chill the dough for half an hour before shaping; molasses dough is sticky when warm.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 5 ½ oz sugarcane molasses (mel de cana)or half black treacle, half golden syrup
- 2 ⅛ oz light brown sugar
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground aniseed
- 24 walnut halves (optional)for the tops
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Melt 2 ⅛ oz butter with 5 ½ oz sugarcane molasses (mel de cana) and 2 ⅛ oz light brown sugar over a low heat, stirring, until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes until just warm, then beat in 1 egg and 1 tsp lemon zest.
12 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground cloves and ½ tsp ground aniseed in a bowl. Pour in the molasses mixture and stir into a soft, sticky dough.
Step 3: Cover and chill for 30 minutes, until firm enough to roll.
30 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two baking trays. With lightly floured hands, roll the dough into 24 balls the size of a walnut and set them 4 cm apart. Flatten slightly and press a walnut half into each if you like.
Step 5: Bake for 12–14 minutes, until risen, cracked on top and just firm at the edges. They look soft when they come out but crisp up as they cool. A common mistake is baking them until hard: molasses burns quickly and tastes bitter.
14 minStep 6: Cool on the trays for 5 minutes, then on a rack. Store in an airtight tin for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does broas de mel take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of light brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tsp honey or golden syrup per 100g.
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