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Palanqueta is a sweet and crunchy treat made of peanuts and caramel. Try making this quick and easy recipe with the addition of amaranth for a deliciously satisfying dessert!
Table of Contents
📖 About
Palanqueta de cacahuate is like a Mexican peanut brittle. The most basic form combines two components — peanuts and caramel.
Depending on the region you’re in, it’s common to find different grains, nuts, seeds, or dried fruits incorporated like:
- Amaranth
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Raisins
Palanqueta is enjoyed all over Mexico and comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures. It’s sold by street vendors, in corner stores, or at small markets.
Since we’ve been hooked on palanqueta for quite some time, we really wanted to share our version for you to try! This recipe is easy to follow and customize, so you can adjust the flavors to meet your preferences.
History
The word palanqueta comes from the Nahuatl word “papaquili,” loosely translating to “happy” or “joyful.”
In pre-Hispanic times, this treat was made by roasting and mixing ground corn with honey. It was apparently enjoyed during the corn festival called “papaquilizilhuitl.”
Once Spanish influence became widespread, new ingredients were introduced such as sugar, nuts, and seeds.
Across the world, there are many variations of palanqueta de cacahuate like chikki in India, pastellaki in Cyprus, sohan in Iran, fah sung thong in China, or ting-ting kacang in Indonesia.
🌱 Is it vegan?
Although palanqueta doesn’t contain any animal products, we just wanted to make a note about sugar:
- Sugar: For the caramel, we use Whole Foods cane sugar, which is certified vegan. Most refined sugar is whitened through a process that uses bone char, so it’s best to use natural cane sugar or vegan-certified regular sugar whenever possible.
🍲 Ingredients & substitutions
For complete ingredient measurements and instructions, see our recipe card.
- Peanuts: Peanuts are the most common nut, but feel free to use other types like cashews, pistachios, macadamia, pecans, etc.
- Amaranth: If you don’t have amaranth, it can be left out or substituted with puffed quinoa.
- Cane sugar: Our preference is cane sugar, but piloncillo adds a rich flavor (regular sugar works too).
- Lime: The citric acid in lime prevents crystallization of the sugar. You can use lemon or vinegar to achieve the same effect.
- Vanilla: We prefer our Mexican peanut brittle with vanilla. It compliments the caramel flavor nicely, but it’s definitely not necessary.
🔪 Instructions
If you have questions about this palanqueta de cacahuate recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment.
Step 1: Line a baking dish with parchment paper, or grease a few small springform pans. Add water, cane sugar, and lime juice to a saucepan. Simmer over medium until it is a syrup consistency.
Step 2: Mix in peanuts and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until both the peanuts and syrup are a golden-brown color. At this point, stir in the amaranth and vanilla.
Step 3: Working fairly quickly, transfer the mixture into the baking dish or the springform pans. Using a greased spatula or spoon, press the mixture down evenly into a thin layer.
Step 4: Leave it to sit for 5 minutes, then slice the palanqueta into bite-size bars. If you’ve used small springform pans, slicing isn’t necessary.
Step 5: Let the palanquetas cool completely while uncovered, then serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container for storage. Happy eating!
🥗 Serving suggestions
Mexican peanut brittle is the perfect companion for warm beverages like:
- Champurrado: Mexican chocolate and soy milk served warm in clay cups.
- Atole de guayaba: Fresh guavas mixed with plant-milk, creating a warm and creamy drink.
- Rice atole: Silky-smooth and cinnamon-infused rice with soy milk.
- Atole de elote: A fresh corn drink combined with cinnamon and sweetener.
🌡️ Storage
Make a batch of palanqueta de cacahuate ahead of time for yourself or friends and family. Just keep these times in mind:
- Room temperature: Store in airtight containers for up to 7-10 days.
- Fridge: If you prefer your palaqueta chilled, keep it in an airtight container for a about a week as well.
♻️ Variations
- Chocolate: Add a drizzle of melted chocolate to the top of your palanquetas.
- Spicy: Try adding a pinch or two of cayenne pepper to the mix.
- Seeds: Turn your Mexican peanut brittle into a seed-based treat with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds instead.
- Flavor: Add different flavor essences like rose, orange, coconut, or cinnamon.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Don’t forget the acid. The citric acid in lime or lemon prevents crystallization of the sugar during the cooking process. Also, minimal stirring will prevent the sugar from crystallizing up around the edges.
- Keep watch. Don’t stray far from your saucepan as you don’t want to burn the sugar.
- Work fast. Have all of your molds ready because palanqueta sets fairly quickly.
- Be careful. Caramel is extremely hot, so make sure you don’t use your hands or eat it too quickly! Also, have a container of cold water nearby and submerge any part of your hand immediately if it gets burned.
- Rest before cutting. Rest for approximately 5 minutes before slicing. Before that, it will be too sticky. After that, it’ll be too hard.
💬 FAQ
The citric acid creates a chemical reaction with the sugar to break down the sucrose into glucose and fructose. For more detailed information, visit The Bake School.
Yes, amaranth is naturally gluten-free since it isn’t actually a true grain (similar to quinoa).
Unfortunately, burnt sugar tastes very bitter so it’s pretty unsalvageable. If you can handle the bitterness, try eating your palanqueta anyways. If not, you will have to start the recipe over.
🍴 Similar recipes
If you thought this recipe was delicious, be sure to check out some of our other favorites like:
- Mueganos: Crispy squares of dough stuck together with piloncillo syrup.
- Buñuelos: Fried flour tortillas topped with cinnamon and sugar.
- Gorditas de piloncillo: Sweet and tender corn cakes topped with sticky syrup.
- Churros: Egg and dairy-free churros served with chocolate sauce.
- Tanghulu: A Chinese-inspired candy made from fruits and a hard candy coating.
Palenqueta
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Chef knife & cutting board
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons vegan butter ($0.05)
- ½ cup water ($0.01)
- 2 cups cane sugar ($0.08)
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice ($0.09)
- 3 cups plain unroasted peanuts ($1.81)
- ½ cup popped amaranth ($0.15)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla ($0.21)
Instructions
- Line a baking dish with parchment paper. Or, grease a large springform pan (or a few smaller ones) with vegan butter. Set aside.
- Add water, cane sugar, and lime juice to a saucepan. Simmer over medium until it is slightly thickened, about 6-7 minutes.
- Mix in peanuts and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until both the peanuts and syrup are a golden-brown color, about 15-20 minutes. At this point, stir in the amaranth and vanilla.
- Working quickly, transfer the mixture into the baking dish or springform pans. Using a buttered spatula or spoon, press the mixture down evenly into a thin layer.
- Leave it to sit for 5 minutes, then slice into bars while still warm. If you’ve used small springform pans, slicing isn’t necessary.
- Let the palanquetas cool completely while uncovered, then serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container for storage. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Don’t forget the acid. The citric acid in lime or lemon prevents crystallization of the sugar during the cooking process. Also, minimal stirring will prevent the sugar from crystallizing up around the edges.
- Keep watch. Don’t stray far from your saucepan as you don’t want to burn the sugar.
- Work fast. Have all of your molds ready because palanqueta sets fairly quickly.
- Be careful. Caramel is extremely hot, so make sure you don’t use your hands or eat it too quickly! Also, have a container of cold water nearby and submerge any part of your hand immediately if it gets burned.
- Rest before cutting. Rest for approximately 5 minutes before slicing. Before that, it will be too sticky. After that, it’ll be too hard.
- We calculate nutritional information for our recipes with Cronometer.
- Recipe cost calculations are based on ingredients local to us and may vary from recipe to recipe. All prices are in USD.
