The Pé de moleque recipe concludes the series Tour of Brazil in 20 Dishes, Part 2.
▶A traditional sweet made from peanuts and rapadura or molasses.
A candy prepared by mixing roasted and shelled peanuts with melted rapadura, with or without the addition of pure macerated peanuts.
The mixture is stirred over low heat until it approaches crystallization.
And then placed on a simple stone or metal surface and then divided into pieces similar in size to cookies.
▶Pé-de-Moleque appeared in the mid-16th century, with the arrival of sugar cane in Brazil.
▶The town of Piranguinho, in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, is known for its artisanal sweet production.
▶▶There is also a cake version called “bolo preto” (black cake), where cashew replaces peanuts, rapadura is retained, and fermented cassava mass (pubada, massa puba) is added to other ingredients like milk and butter.
I used two different pans where I divided the dough: one round and another square to give it different shapes, but it can be distributed in a single pan or on a silicone mat.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 8 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 17.6 oz roasted peanuts (unsalted, skinless)
- 17.6 oz rapadura
- 1 cup water
Steps
In a pan, with the heat off, combine the water and rapadura.Turn the heat to low.
When the sugar starts to caramelize, stir to prevent burning.Once the rapadura is melted, turn off the heat.
Quickly add the peanuts.Pour the mixture onto a buttered surface or baking sheet or a silicone mat.
Once the mixture has hardened, break into pieces.
FAQ
What is Pé de moleque called in other countries?
📍In India, mainly in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, it is called chikki, with jaggery instead of rapadura.
📍In Portugal, it is known as nougat.
📍In Mexico, it is called palanqueta.
In Italy, it is peanut brittle.What is rapadura?
Rapadura, or panela, or piloncillo, is a food product obtained from sugar cane juice boiled at high temperatures and evaporated; it results in a viscous molasses that is then poured into small molds (generally rectangular, but sometimes also round) where it is left to dry.
Colombia is the largest producer.
