This recipe is taken from my cookbook “Comidas del Ecuador.” Available at all major bookstores in Ecuador and on Amazon.com
Galletas de almidón are so famous, that anyone traveling to the province of Manabí, Ecuador cannot return home without bringing some. The ones sold there tend to be a bit hard; this recipe I cooked with a fabulous cook/hacienda owner, Yolanda Martínez and her cookies are so light, delicate and pure white that I call them Snow Cookies. Oh, and of course they are completely gluten free.
3 3/4 cups (1 1/4 lbs.) sifted yuca flour (almidón de yuca or harina de yuca)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sweet butter
1 2/3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sweet wine (Muscatel, sherry, port, etc.)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Beat butter and powdered sugar together until creamy; beat in the egg yolks. Add the wine and cinnamon and beat well. Mix in the yuca starch. (If the dough is crumbly, add a bit of cream, a few drops at a time.)
Form the dough into a large ball, then roll it on a lightly floured surface into a rough circle about 1/4 inch thick. With a small, 1 1/2 inch cooker cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into as many rounds as possible. Gather the remaining scraps of dough into a ball; again roll it into a circle and continue to cut into rounds.
Arrange the rounds close together on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at a very low temperature, 275 F, for 1/2 hour. These cookies stay white as snow even after baking and store well in covered cans. However, they crumble easily so requiere delicate handling.
Yield: 100 cookies.
Eating the Rainbow:
D-Low in fat
F-Local/native Ingredients