Contrary to what was expected, pine nuts, a key product in the production of traditional panellets, have dropped slightly in price this year. Of course, those who go to buy them at the bakery will hardly find them below 60 euros per kilo. The problem, remember the confectioners who make them, is that apart from the nuts, the rest of raw materials -in particular the sugarbut also the eggs– Yes, they have become more expensive in the last year. And a lot. The former has risen 40.5% in the last 12 months, and the latter, 11.5%.
“It is true that we are finding somewhat cheaper pine nuts and that almonds have stabilized their price in wholesale markets, but there are other factors, such as the cost of energy, that have forced us to freeze prices compared to last year, we have not been able to reduce it in any way,” explains an artisan, who remembers that one of the pillars to achieve a good panellet is for the baking oven “to be very hot and that increases the electricity bill “.
These typical sweets of the All Saints festivities in Catalonia do not escape inflation, although the pastry chefs are trying to prevent the extra costs from reaching the customer. The forecast is that one more year sales will reach 250,000 kilos throughout Catalonia, a figure that has remained stable for some time now. And that, according to the Barcelona Pastissers’ Guild, the fact that the cold has not yet arrived is a factor that discourages consumption.
To try to alleviate a possible decrease in sales, what confectioners have done this year is to get ahead and put the panellets on sale several weeks in advance. In this way, many pastry shops have been displaying this artisan product on their counters for 15 days now.
Also more expensive at home
Without a doubt, making them at home is an alternative, but that will also be more expensive this year. How much would it cost? According to the information collected each month by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on shopping basket prices, this Castanyada will be 12.3% more expensive. To make panellets for between four and six people you will have to invest around 20 euros.
The most traditional recipe recommends mixing 250 grams of almond flour with about 100 grams of sugar glass. Flour costs, according to current prices, about 3.5 euros (1.6% more than last year) and sugar about 15 cents (40.5% more than in 2022). If you optionally want to add sweet potato, 100 grams of this tuber now cost 0.21 euros, 20.5% more than last fall. To the mixture, you should also add a pinch of salt and the vanilla pod seeds, honey and the white of an egg. Honey has risen by 15.5% this year and eggs, as already mentioned, by 11.5%.
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One has to knead the mixture until you obtain a compact dough and homogeneous and let it rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours. After this time, you can make some balls of about 15 grams Each one is painted with egg yolk and coated with pine nuts. Pass a little egg on the outside again and cook at 230°C for four minutes.
The price of 175 grams of pinions It is 13.99 euros, 1.6% more than in 2022, but if you prefer other tastes and flavors you can use the chocolatehe coconut wave jam. Twenty grams of this cost 0.13 cents, 15.5% more expensive than last year. The price of chocolate has increased by 10%.