Serves 4 
Serves 4
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup port wine
• 3 tablespoons water
• Ground cinnamon, to garnish
In her fabulous cookbook El Perú y sus Manjares, Jossie Sisson de De la Guerra narrates the story of this silky dessert, crediting the poet José Gálvez with its peculiar name. Apparently, this artist was a romantic even when it came to the food he ate, comparing this pudding to the gentle and sweet sigh of a girl from Lima. Yes, suspiro means “sigh.”
1. Cook the evaporated milk and the sweetened condensed milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens slightly and turns a pretty caramel color, (about 30 minutes). Turn off the heat.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, and use a wire beater to beat the yolks in a small bowl. Add a couple tablespoons of the hot milk mixture and keep beating for a few seconds.
3. Pour the yolks in the pan with the milks, combine carefully, and reserve.
4. Mix the sugar, port wine, and water in another pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, without stirring. The syrup is ready when it forms a caramel thread when poured from a spoon. (230°–235°F in a candy thermometer).
5. While the sugar is melting to form the caramel, beat the egg whites using a standing mixer at high speed until soft peaks form (you will know they’re ready when you lift one of the beaters and it has a soft cloud of meringue foam around it).
6. Add the hot syrup in a thin, steady stream, beating vigorously until the resulting meringue is completely cold.
7. Pour the cold milk mixture in a large container—or nice glasses. Cover with a large dollop of meringue and dust with a little ground cinnamon.
8. Serve cold, and keep refrigerated.
For the whites to grow the way they should, they must have no trace of egg yolk, and the bowl must be spotlessly clean and completely dry. Even the slightest residue will change the result.
Serves 6 
• 3 pounds purple corn
• 3 cloves
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 pineapple, peeled and chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
• 1 quince, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 9 cups water
• ½ cup prunes
• ½ cup dried apricots
• ½ cup sweet potato starch (or potato starch)
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 lime
• Ground cinnamon
This purple dessert is made with the same water used for chicha morada, with the addition of dried fruits, sweet potato starch, and extra sugar. You want it to be slightly thick but still runny. If you add more thickener than needed, the texture will resemble gelatin, which is not what we are looking for.
1. Break the dried corn in several pieces.
2. Put in a heavy saucepan along with the cloves, aniseed, cinnamon sticks, pineapple peels, apple, quince (peel and core included), and water.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook partially covered for 1½ hours.
4. Strain, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids.
5. In the same saucepan, put the purple liquid, 2 cups chopped pineapple, chopped apple, prunes, apricots, and sugar. Bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium, and cook for 20 minutes to soften the fruits.
6. In a bowl, dissolve the potato starch in a little water and add to the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook for 5 more minutes.
7. Turn off the heat, and add the lime juice. Stir.
8. Serve in ramekins or glasses, sprinkled with ground cinnamon.
I like to add dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries to this dessert instead of the traditional prunes. Peruvian food purists would never forgive this sin, but I think these fruits enhance the flavor of any mazamorra morada.
Makes 6 
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 2 cups evaporated milk
• 1 cup water
• Peel of 1 lemon
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
The Spanish brought sugar, rice, and milk to Peru, along with many recipes for desserts. Rice pudding is one of them, and it’s been a staple in every home ever since. Street vendors all over the country sell this comforting and delicious pudding in plastic cups, always warm, especially during the winter.
1. Simmer the whole milk with the cinnamon sticks and the rice, in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture every now and then, and make sure the milk does not boil over or stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. When the rice is tender (about 25–30 minutes), add the evaporated milk, water, sugar, and lemon peel. Continue simmering, stirring with a wooden spoon until it is slightly creamy (about 25 minutes longer).
3. Do not let the pudding dry because the rice will absorb more liquid as it cools, and the mixture will become thicker.
4. Remove from the heat, and discard the lemon peel and cinnamon sticks. Add the vanilla essence and stir.
5. Pour into a nice container, or individual cups or glasses. Dust with ground cinnamon, and serve.
6. It can be refrigerated and served cold as well.
You can add raisins, dried cherries, or blueberries to the preparation. You can also flavor the pudding with ¼ cup Pisco, rum, Cointreau, or Amaretto, if you are planning on serving it to adults only.
Serves 8 
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Is there a place in the world where this creamy dessert hasn’t left its mark? Flan is a sweet way to celebrate everything and nothing at all, and in Peru you can find it wherever you go. We call this vanilla-flavored custard crema volteada (literally “upside down cream”).
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until it melts and forms a liquid caramel. Be careful not to let it burn because it will taste bitter.
3. Carefully pour the hot caramel into 8 ramekins, rotating them to cover the entire inner surface with the caramel. Be very careful with your fingers, and don’t even dream of tasting it with your tongue. Hot caramel is extremely dangerous.
4. Process the condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla in a blender. Pour this into the prepared ramekins.
5. Put them inside a larger pan with about 1-inch of hot water.
6. Bake in this water bath for 40 minutes. Take out of the larger pan and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
7. If you have the time, keep refrigerated for several hours (or overnight) to loosen the caramel.
8. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of each ramekin, cover with a dish, and turn upside down.
9. Keep refrigerated.
10. You can make this flan in a 9-inch round baking pan, and bake for one hour.
To soften the hard caramel that remains at the bottom of the pan after unmolding the flan, put the empty baking pan over medium heat with ⅓ cup of water in it. Stir with a spoon until it becomes liquid again, and pour over the flan.
Makes 6
• 6 apples (any kind you like)
• Grated zest of 1 lime or lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup blueberries
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
• ¼ cup blueberries, to decorate
I like to think of this cake as part of my daily fruit portions, because apples are the main ingredient. Some berries can also be added to it, such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or even cranberries.
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Peel and core the apples. Cut them in thin slices, put them in a bowl, and sprinkle them with lime or lemon zest. Add the cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar, and stir to combine.
3. Put the apple slices in a greased 9-inch baking pan. Add ½ cup blueberries.
4. Put the brown sugar, flour, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla in another bowl.
5. Mix with a spatula or a wire whisk, and pour over the apples.
6. Bake for 55 minutes or until golden.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream, and a few blueberries.
Top with vanilla or berry ice cream for a more stylish presentation.
Serves 6
• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup milk at room temperature
• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
The texture and flavor of this moist cake will improve if you make it in advance and keep it in the fridge. The traditional recipe covers the cake with a meringue layer, but if this is too sweet for you, leave it plain or add some whipped cream and fresh fruit instead. You are going to love it either way.
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Sift the flour together with the baking powder.
3. Beat the eggs at the highest speed for about 5 minutes. They have to grow to about 3 times the volume (or more) from when you started beating them. Make sure your mixer is completely dry before you pour the eggs, otherwise they won´t grow the way they should. Same advice goes for when preparing the meringue.
4. Add the sugar, little by little, while still beating the fluffy eggs.
5. Turn the beater down to slow speed and add a third of the flour, then a third of the milk, then a third of the flour, and so on, until all the ingredients blend completely.
6. Transfer to a 12 x 8–inch baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.
7. In the meantime, mix the 3 milks with the vanilla and set aside.
8. The cake is ready when you pierce with a knife and it comes out clean. Bake for a few minutes longer if necessary.
9. Take the cake out of the oven and pierce it all over with a fork. Pour the cold milks over the cake immediately, so they are absorbed by the hot cake. Make sure you do this evenly and cover every part of the cake, including the sides and corners.
10. Cool and decorate with mango slices and mint leaves. Or put the tres leches in the fridge to serve very cold.
The flavor of this dessert can be custom-made by blending any fruit of your liking into the milk mixture. You can also blend in chocolate or coffee.
Tres leches keeps well in the fridge for several days, but make sure you cover it with plastic film to keep it moist.
Serves 10–12
• 3 cups cake flour
• 8 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup sliced almonds or coconut flakes
For the syrup:
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the fudge:
• ½ cup cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 12-ounce can unsweetened evaporated milk
• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
I don’t think this rich, fudgy, syrup-drenched cake is originally from Peru. However, it is hugely popular in Lima and you can find it in every bakery, café, corner store, and home. If there’s a birthday party, rest assured that this will be the cake holding the candles.
1. Grease a 10-inch tube pan, and cover the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Sift the flour, cacao coffee, salt, and baking soda, in a big bowl.
4. Make a well in the center and add the oil, milk, vinegar, vanilla, eggs, and sugar. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 1 hour. Let cool.
6. To make the syrup: Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla essence and cool.
7. To make the fudge: Stir the cacao into hot water until it dissolves completely. Put the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cacao in a pan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture thickens and you can see the bottom of the pan.
8. Turn off the heat and add butter. Stir. If it´s too thick, add a little milk.
9. To assemble the cake: Cut it in three layers and pour some syrup on each one.
10. Spread some fudge on the first layer, and cover with another layer. Repeat.
11. Cover the cake with fudge, and sprinkle with sliced almonds or coconut flakes.
To make this cake you only need a bowl, a spoon, and a baking pan. This means that you don’t even need a mixer to blend it all together.
Serves 6
• 1 stick unsalted butter (about ½ cup)
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs, whites separated
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups fresh white corn
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
The texture of this cake is light and moist, and it has an intense corn flavor. The tiny amount of flour used (only two tablespoons) is enough to bind everything together, making a perfectly formed dessert.
1. Have all the ingredients at room temperature before starting. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks one by one, then the cream cheese. Beat at high speed for 5 minutes.
4. Process the corn in a blender or food processor until very fine. Add to the butter mixture along with the baking powder and flour.
5. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in the mixer at high speed, until soft peaks form. Fold very gently into the corn mixture, with a spatula.
6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a rack.
We use Peruvian giant kernel corn for this cake, but if you can’t find it, any white corn is good. We don’t recommend yellow corn, however, because it is too sweet.
Serves 8 – 10
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• ¾ cup butter, melted
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups Brazil nuts, grated or finely chopped
• 2–3 cups manjar blanco (dulce de leche)
We call this dessert turrón although it has nothing in common with the Spanish turrón or the Italian torrone. This very sweet cake can have either a chewy or a crunchy texture, depending on how finely or coarsely grated the Brazil nuts are.
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Oil 2 round 9-inch baking pans, and line them at the bottom with parchment paper. Beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add the melted butter.
3. Turn the speed to low, and add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Turn off the mixer, and add the grated Brazil nuts, stirring with a spatula.
5. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 25 minutes.
6. Cool on racks, pass a knife along all the edges of the pan, and unmold. When completely cool, cover one of the cakes with manjar blanco.
7. Put the other cake on top, and cover the whole outside surface of the two-layered cake with more manjar blanco.
8. To decorate, make lines all over the outer layer of manjar blanco with the tines of a fork.
You can also bake this cake in rectangular baking pans. In this case you will need to adjust the baking time, adding about 10 minutes.
Serves 6
For the mousse:
• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy cream, cold
• 8 ounces passion fruit juice
For the topping:
• ½ tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 ounces passion fruit juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
To garnish (optional):
• Mint leaves
• Maraschino cherries
Passion fruit is a wonderfully versatile fruit that can be used to make juices, desserts, cocktails, and even to add its acidic touch to cebiches and savory sauces. This mousse, created by chef Roberto Cuadra, is a great dessert to make whenever you have some free time, and leave in the fridge, ready to be eaten whenever you feel the urge for something sweet.
1. To make the mousse, mix the unflavored gelatin with 2 tablespoons cold water, and rehydrate for 5 minutes. When it blooms, melt in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly, until it dissolves. Set aside to cool.
2. Beat the cream cheese and condensed milk using a mixer, until very creamy. Add the heavy cream and continue beating for three minutes. Then add the passion fruit juice and the melted and cooled gelatin. Pour this mixture into 6 glasses, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
3. In the meantime, make the topping by mixing the unflavored gelatin with 2 tablespoons water, and letting it rehydrate for 5 minutes. Bring the passion fruit juice and sugar to a boil, in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the rehydrated gelatin and heat until dissolved. Cool to room temperature and pour over the firm mousse. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Serve with a cherry and a couple of mint leaves (optional).
You can also serve this dessert with whipped cream and/or strawberry sauce. To make the sauce, process 2 cups strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and the juice of ½ lime, in a blender. Strain and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 15
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 ounces dried coconut, grated
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 12-ounce can unsweetened evaporated milk
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• Ground cinnamon
Arequipa is the birthplace of this sweet artisanal ice. This recipe was given to us by celebrity chef Blanca Chávez, author of the beautiful cookbook Entre Hornos y Rocotos.
1. Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat, with the cinnamon sticks, cloves, sugar, and grated coconut. Turn the heat off immediately.
2. Drain and discard the spices, add the vanilla, and the cornstarch (previously dissolved in a little water). Let it cool.
3. Process the egg yolks in a blender with the unsweetened evaporated milk. Add this to the spiced milk and stir in the sweetened condensed milk.
4. Pour into a container and put in the freezer for several hours. Once frozen, cut in squares or serve with a scoop, and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Originally, this dessert was made with almonds, but eventually people started using coconut because it was cheaper and more accessible.
Serves 8–10
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 6 eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 14 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 cup prunes, chopped
• 1 12-ounce can unsweetened evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 8–10 whole prunes for garnishing
We call this light dessert merengón, which means “large meringue.” This baked meringue studded with chopped prunes, and covered with caramel—just like flan—is always served with custard on the side.
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. To make the caramel: Put 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking undisturbed until golden. Pour into an 11-inch tube, moving it so it covers the whole inner surface of the pan. Be careful because it will be very hot. Reserve.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Add 10 tablespoons sugar, beating continuously. Turn off the mixer.
4. Using a spatula, fold the chopped prunes into the meringue. Pour into the prepared baking pan, and put this pan in a larger pan with about 1 inch of boiling water. Bake in this water bath for 50 minutes.
5. Take out of the oven, let cool, and then refrigerate without unmolding. You can bake it one day in advance and keep it in the fridge.
6. While the bavarois is in the oven, prepare the custard by beating the egg yolks and remaining 4 tablespoons sugar with a wire whisk. Do this vigorously until it becomes light and pale (about 3 minutes).
7. Add the evaporated milk, transfer to a pan, and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, until lightly thickened. Take off the heat and cool. Strain and transfer to a jar or bowl, and keep refrigerated.
8. To serve, unmold the bavarois, by running a knife along the edge of the pan, putting a plate on top, and turning it upside down.
9. Serve it with a little of the residual caramel sauce in the pan, and with custard. Garnish with a prune.
Instead of prunes, you can use any dried fruit to make this dessert. Dried pears, figs, apricots, or raisins, are a few good choices.
Makes 35
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• ⅔ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups cornstarch, sifted
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons fresh milk (if needed)
• 1 14-ounce can dulce de leche
• Confectioners sugar, for dusting
Alfajores are a sweet treat that has been present all over Latin America since colonial times. Each country has a different way of preparing alfajores, but the concept is the same: two cookies filled with dulce de leche. This is Antonella Delfino’s family recipe.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixer, for 3 minutes at medium speed. Add the butter and continue beating until creamy.
3. Add the cornstarch and baking powder in three parts, mixing them in with a spatula, and then knead lightly with your hands until the dough is no longer sticky. If the dough feels dry add the milk.
4. On a floured table, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin to make a thin layer of about ⅛-inch thick.
5. To make the cookies, cut the dough with round 2-inch cookie cutters. Prick all over with the tines of a fork, and bake for 8 minutes on baking sheets covered with Silpat or parchment.
6. If you don’t have cookie cutters, be creative. You can use the top of a glass or cup, which will make slightly larger alfajores.
7. Cool the cookies on racks. When completely cool, put a teaspoon of dulce de leche on half of them, and place another cookie on top, like a sandwich. Sift confectioners sugar over them. You can even make three-layer alfajores to serve with ice cream.
You can bake the cookies in advance and store in a tightly sealed jar or tin for up to 5 days. Fill them with dulce de leche right before serving.
Serve alfajores with a glass of milk, with coffee or tea, or even with ice cream.
Makes 4
• 2 mini panettone
• 2 cups ice cream
• 1 cup blackberries
When my kids were growing up, they loved the many desserts I made using the traditional Christmas panetón (this is what we call the Italian panettone). Sometimes it was bread pudding, others it was French toast, but their favorite thing was to have mini panetones filled with ice cream. They are very easy to make and can be frozen for months, so Christmas can last for the whole year.
1. Cut off the top of each panetón.
2. Make a hole in the center, pulling out some of the crumbs from the middle.
3. Combine the ice cream with blackberries, mashing the fruit.
4. Fill each panetón with ice cream. Put the top back on and wrap them in foil.
5. Freeze and use as needed.
6. Before serving, transfer to the fridge for 15 minutes. Discard the foil and cut in half.
7. Keep frozen for up to 3 months.
You can easily find different kinds of mini panettone in many grocery stores. Fill them with whipped cream or pastry cream instead of the ice cream if you prefer.
Serves 10
• 8 ounces mote (hominy)
• ½ pineapple, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 2 Granny Smith apples, chopped
• 1 quince, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup corn flour
• 1 soursop (guanábana), peeled, seeded, and chopped
• Ground cinnamon
This traditional dessert from Lima shares its funny name (it sounds like shampoo), with a local fruit. Originally, it was served as a hot beverage during cold winter nights. During the Spanish Colonial period, it was typical to hear the champuceras (women who prepared and sold champuz on the streets) announcing their product.
1. Soak the mote overnight, in a bowl full of water. You can even soak it for 2 days, changing the water a couple times, to soften the mote even more.
2. Drain, change the water, and cook partially covered, until the mote is soft. This may take about 2 hours. Turn off the heat, drain, and reserve.
3. Put the pineapple, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in another saucepan filled with boiling water. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat.
4. Add the apples and quince, and cook for another 15 minutes.
5. Put the corn flour in a bowl, and add a little water. Mix until the flour is completely dissolved and without lumps. Add to the saucepan where the fruit is cooking, together with the soursop (guanábana) and the cooked mote, and cook for 5 extra minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Serve in tall glasses, warm or at room temperature, and sprinkled with ground cinnamon.
7. You can also put it in the refrigerator once it has cooled, and warm it again before eating.
The usual fruit used to make this recipe is soursop, which is similar to cherimoya, but less sweet. The latter could be a good substitute if soursop is not available. We added apples to this recipe, even though it´s usually made just with pineapple, quince, and soursop.
Makes 10–12
• ½ cup butter (melted)
• 1 cup Turbinado raw sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup almond flour
• ¼ cup cooked amaranth
• ¼ teaspoon Peruvian pink salt (or any other salt)
• ⅓ cup cacao powder
• ¾ cup fresh cherries (pitted and coarsely chopped)
If you´ve never used the highly nutritious Andean seed known as amaranth (we call it kiwicha), this is your chance to experiment with it. The texture is a cross between quinoa and cooked oatmeal. Try it in these perfectly gooey brownies, and see how you feel about it. I´m sure it will be love at first bite.
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease and flour a 8 x 8–inch baking pan.
3. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl.
4. Add the eggs and beat with a fork or a hand whisk.
5. Add the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, almond flour, salt, and cacao powder), and the cooked amaranth, and whisk until you have a smooth batter. Stir in the cherries.
6. Pour the batter into the baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Let it cool on a rack for half an hour or longer.
8. To unmold, pass a knife through the inner edges of the pan, put a large dish or baking tray on top, and turn over. Tap the pan strongly on all sides to loosen it.
9. Cut in equal portions and serve immediately or store for up to 2 days in an airtight container, separated with parchment paper.
Turn these brownies gluten-free by substituting the whole wheat flour with half almond flour and half cooked amaranth.
Makes 48
• 2 14-ounce cans condensed milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 2½ cups Brazil nuts, coarsely grated and divided
One or two of these tiny treats look beautiful next to a steaming cup of tea of coffee. They will make your friends feel special when they visit you, or make you look extra professional and meticulous if used at business meetings.
1. Cook the condensed milk, eggs yolks, and 2 cups Brazil nuts, in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until you can see the bottom of the pan.
2. Turn off the heat and transfer to an oiled plate. Cool completely.
3. Toast the remaining ½ cup Brazil nuts in a clean skillet, stirring until lightly golden and fragrant.
4. When the milk and nut mixture is cool, put a little vegetable oil in your hands, and form balls with ¾ teaspoon of the mixture. Roll the little balls on the toasted Brazil nuts until completely covered.
5. Put in candy paper cups and serve.
These candies can be made up to 4 days in advance, and they will actually improve in flavor as the days go by. Keep them in tightly sealed containers at room temperature or in the fridge.
Makes 40
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons Pisco
• ½ cup manjar blanco (dulce de leche)
• ½ cup pineapple marmalade (or any other flavor)
• ½ cup confectioners sugar
Light, sweet, and pretty . . . these voladores are the mini version of the volador, a dessert that has been popular in Lima for over a century. The trick to make them is to roll the dough until very thin—almost transparent—and then prick it all over with the tines of a fork, baking it until cooked but still pale in color.
1. Sift the flour and salt. Put them on the table and make a well in the center.
2. Add the yolks and Pisco to the well. Using your fingers, start to incorporate the flour with the yolks and Pisco, until a dough is formed.
3. Knead with your hands until the dough is elastic and doesn´t stick to your fingers. Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap or put in a plastic bag, and rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
5. Sprinkle the table with flour. Take a small portion of the dough (about ½ cup) and roll with a rolling pin until very thin. You should be patient and keep rolling, until you get a perfect, smooth layer. Cut in 1-inch circles.
6. Place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment or Silpat, and prick each one several times with the tines of a fork. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
7. Bake for 8 minutes, until firm but not golden. Cool on wire racks.
8. Place one layer of cookies on a plate, and put ½ teaspoon manjar blanco or dulce de leche on each one. Cover with another cookie. Place ½ teaspoon pineapple marmalade, and top with a third cookie.
9. Sift confectioners sugar over them.
10. Place each volador in a paper candy cup, and serve.
These cookies, made with the same dough used for guargüeros, are served with coffee or tea at many social gatherings and celebrations. You can use the same dough to make a large volador, the size of a regular cake.
Makes 36
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• 6 egg yolks
• ¼ cup Pisco
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 1–2 cups manjar blanco (dulce de leche)
• ½ cup confectioners sugar
What can you make with flour, salt, egg yolks, and Pisco? The answer is this versatile dough used to make fried guargüeros and also baked voladores. In Lima you can buy these lovely cookies in many bakeries, grocery stores, and coffee shops, but there is something rewarding—and relaxing—about making them yourself.
1. Sift the flour and salt. Put on a table and make a well in the center.
2. Add the egg yolks and Pisco in the middle. With your fingers, start to incorporate the flour with the yolks and Pisco, until a dough is formed.
3. Knead with your hands until the dough is elastic and doesn´t stick to your fingers. Form a ball, cover with plastic wrap or put in a plastic bag, and rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the table with flour. Take a small portion of the dough (about ½ a cup) and roll with a rolling pin until very thin. You should be patient and keep rolling, until you get a perfect, smooth layer. Cut in 2-inch squares per side.
5. Place an egg white drop in one of the corners and fold, pressing the moist corner against the opposite corner.
6. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
7. When hot, fry the guargüeros for 2–3 minutes. They will float when they are ready. Do not let them brown.
8. Transfer to a plate or a wire rack covered with paper towels, and let them cool.
9. Put the manjar blanco or dulce de leche in a piping bag with a rosette tip, and fill the guargüeros.
10. Sift confectioners sugar over them and serve.
11. You can make the cookies in advance and keep them in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Fill them with manjar blanco when ready to serve.
In Peru many people make manjar blanco (Peruvian dulce de leche) at home for this recipe and many others. We, however, don’t recommend this, as it is very time consuming, and your sweet tooth will not like the wait! Just buy dulce de leche at the store (it needs to be the thick kind, not runny), and use this.
Makes 7
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon Pisco
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 25 dried aguaymantos (pichuberries or golden berries), macerated overnight (or up to 3 days) in Pisco
• 2 ounces pecans, chopped
My daughter created this recipe for Christmas a few years ago. These cookies are unique, with the texture of the dried aguaymantos (golden berries or pichuberries) and the grown-up flavor of Pisco. I like to freeze the raw balls of dough for up to several months, and only bake one or two when I have a craving.
1. Mix the sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a bowl, with a wire whisk. Add the egg and Pisco.
2. Incorporate the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add the macerated aguaymantos, previously drained, and the pecans.
3. Form 2-inch balls with an ice cream scoop, and put them on a baking sheet covered with silpat or parchment.
4. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours, or freeze them to bake later.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the cookies for 10–12 minutes.
6. If frozen, do not thaw, but bake for 15 minutes.
If you don’t want to use Pisco in this recipe, substitute with 1 teaspoon vanilla essence. Instead of aguaymantos you can use raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries.
