Blanqueado is panela taffy (melcocha) pulled by hand until it turns from panela’s dark brown to a pale, almost white color, which gives it its name.
It’s a sugar-mill sweet made in Colombia’s panela-producing areas, and melcocha is among the traditional sweets of Boyacá.
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Boyacá Blanqueado Candy
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 40 sticks
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of panela
- About 1½ cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- Grated coconut, a little
- Powdered sugar, for coating
Preparation
- Melt the panela, melt the panela in the water over medium heat and skim off the scum that rises to the top.
- Cook to the right point, add the butter and a little grated coconut and cook until a little of the syrup dropped in cold water breaks into threads.
- Pull until pale, pour the syrup onto a wet stone or tray and, once you can handle it, pull it in portions again and again until it turns pale.
- Shape the sticks, on a dry table, form sticks as thick as you like, cut them with a knife, and coat them in powdered sugar.
Tips
- Work the syrup on a wet surface so it doesn’t stick.
- Pull it in portions: blanqueado takes about 40 minutes of work to change color.
- The syrup is very hot: wait until you can handle it.
Traditional variations
- Swap the grated coconut for toasted ground peanuts.
- Once it has turned pale, you can add vanilla or anise extract.
How to serve
Serve it in sticks, at room temperature.
Recommended pairings
- Coffee
- Aguapanela
Did you know?
In different regions of Colombia, melcocha has other names, such as alfandoque or alfeñique; blanqueado refers to the color it takes on as it’s pulled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because pulling the panela taffy by hand turns it from dark brown to a pale, almost white color.
Drop a little into cold water: if it breaks into threads, it's ready.
About 40 minutes, until it turns pale.
