Broas Castelares (Portuguese Sweet Potato Cookies)

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A traditional treat during the Christmas holidays, these Portuguese cookies (broas castelares) are packed with sweet potatoes, dried coconut, ginger, orange and more!

Portugal is not only the oldest state on the Iberian Peninsula, it’s one of the oldest in Europe with settlements dating back to prehistoric times.  During the Renaissance, Portugal was one of the world’s major economic and military powers – Portuguese explorers pioneered maritime exploration, established the first global empire, and Portuguese merchants monopolized the spice trade.  Portugal’s prominent global role continued until the great earthquake of 1755 when almost the entire city of Lisbon was destroyed.   But Portugal forever left an indelible mark on the world, a profound cultural and architectural influence along with a legacy of 300 million Portuguese speakers.

Though Lisbon is relatively “new”, having been largely rebuilt since it’s 1755 destruction, it has retained much of its long-held traditions and its rich, unique culture.   One of the things that comes to mind when you picture Lisbon are the azulejos – the beautiful and elaborately painted, glazed ceramic tiles that line church buildings, walls and homes.  They reached their peak of popularity during the 16th and 17th centuries and sadly started falling out of favor in the early 20th century.

Some buildings have still maintained them as symbols of Lisbon’s rich tradition while the tile remnants of other buildings, including those destroyed by the earthquake, can be found for sale in antique stores.  We found samples dating back to the 1600’s.  We really enjoyed exploring these antique shops during our trip to Lisbon and we selected a couple of these antique tiles to bring back home with us, literally pieces of Portugal’s history.

Lisbon is a beautiful city with a rich heritage and our time there definitely whetted our appetite for a return visit.

 

I want to share a very traditional treat with you from Portugal called Broas Castelares which can be described as Portuguese sweet potato cookies and are especially popular during the Christmas season.  The creation of these cookies is attributed to the Castelar brothers who owned the Confeitaria Francesa in downtown Lisbon in 1860.

There are different variations of these pastries, but they’re generally comprised of a combination of sweet potato, cornmeal, wheat flour, almond meal, shredded coconut, and often orange and/or candied ginger.  They’re dense and filling and one or two cookies goes a long way.

These cookies are quite unique and feature a very dominant sweet potato flavor.  If you’re not a sweet potato fan, I’ll tell you now, these cookies are not for you.  However, if you are, these Broas Castelares cookies will be a very welcome treat indeed!

Let’s get started!

Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork and bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until soft.

Let the sweet potatoes cool for few minutes then scrape out the flesh.

Run the sweet potato flesh through a potato ricer.

Place the sweet potato in a small-medium pot with the sugar.  Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved to liquid.

Add the lemon zest, orange zest and candied ginger.  Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.

Remove from heat and add all remaining ingredients except for the eggs, orange blossom water and egg yolk.  Stir to thoroughly combine.

Then add the eggs and orange blossom water and stir to thoroughly combined.

Let the mixture cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld and the dough firm up.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Use a spoon to scoop out the dough and roll into balls about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Then shape each ball into an oval with tapered ends.

Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet, gently press down on them just to very slightly flatten them, and brush them with the egg yolk.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.  Let cool completely.

Makes about 30 cookies.  These freeze well in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Enjoy!