SequilhosCornstarch condensed milk cookies
Brazilian grandmothers keep a tin of sequilhos (seh-KEEL-yos) on the shelf for afternoon cafezinho, and children in São Paulo and Minas Gerais grow up pinching them from it. Made almost entirely from cornstarch, butter and sweetened condensed milk, they bake pale and chalky-looking, then dissolve on the tongue like a cloud of milky sugar. A fork pressed into each ball leaves the classic stripes. This version adds one egg yolk for a little richness; plenty of families leave it out, and the cookies are just as good. Because there is no wheat, they are naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: lift one off the tray after the minimum time and check the base; it should be the faintest cream-gold, not brown, or the melting texture turns sandy.



