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Tortitas de Santa Clara
Shortbread with pumpkin seed cream
Puebla's convent shortbread rounds topped with pumpkin-seed cream
The nuns of the Santa Clara convent in Puebla are credited with this biscuit, and the city's Calle de los Dulces still sells it in boxes stacked beside camotes and jamoncillos. It is a crumbly, lightly sweet shortbread round, covered with a thick, pale cream made from ground pumpkin seeds, sugar and milk, which sets to a soft fudge-like layer. They are eaten with coffee in the afternoon and taken home as a gift from Puebla. Chef's tip: grind the peeled pumpkin seeds as fine as you can before cooking; any coarse bits make the topping gritty.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the biscuits
- 9 oz plain flour
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 4 ½ oz cold butterdiced, or vegetable shortening
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 pinch salt
For the pumpkin-seed cream
- 1 cup milk
- 6 ½ oz sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.
5 minStep 2: Mix 9 oz plain flour, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar, ½ tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt. Rub in 4 ½ oz cold butter until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Beat 1 egg with 2 tbsp milk, add it and bring together into a soft dough without kneading.
5 minStep 3: Roll out 5 mm thick on a floured surface and cut 7 cm rounds. Prick them with a fork and put them on the trays.
5 minStep 4: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until pale golden at the edges and firm when touched. Cool on the trays.
18 minStep 5: For the cream, grind 5 ½ oz shelled green pumpkin seeds (pepitas) in a spice grinder or blender with a little of 1 cup milk to the finest paste you can manage.
4 minStep 6: Put the paste in a heavy saucepan with the rest of the milk and 6 ½ oz sugar. Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 20–25 minutes, until it thickens into a paste that holds a soft peak and you can see the base of the pan when you stir. Common mistake: stopping too soon; runny cream soaks into the biscuits and never sets.
25 minStep 7: Stir in ½ tsp vanilla extract and cool for 10 minutes, until just warm.
10 minStep 8: Spread a thick layer of cream over each biscuit, leaving a thin rim. Leave for 1 hour to set. They keep for 5 days in a tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tortitas de Santa Clara take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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