Canillitas de leche

Ingredients

The sweet

• 2 litreswhole milk
• 700 gsugar
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoonbicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoonvanilla

To finish

• 100 gicing sugar, for dusting
• or caster sugar, for rolling

Sometimes added

• the zest of 1 lime
• a splash of rum
• 50 gground almonds

Equipment

• a very large heavy pan
• a long wooden spoon
• a marble slab or oiled tray

Directions

1. Use the largest heavy pan you own. A small pan boils over within minutes. Pour all the milk into the pan. Add the sugar and stir it all in. Add the cinnamon stick and the pinch of salt.
2. Heat it gently until the sugar dissolves. Stir it as it heats so nothing settles. Stir it through and let the foam settle. The bicarbonate helps the browning along.
3. Bring the pan up to a steady boil. Keep it at a strong simmer rather than a rolling boil. Stir it every few minutes at the start. Stir it constantly towards the end. It takes about an hour in total.
4. Drop a little into cold water to test it. It should form a soft ball you can pinch. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Add the vanilla and any flavourings. Keep beating for several minutes without stopping. Fine crystals give a smooth fudgy texture.
5. Tip the mixture onto a marble slab or oiled tray. Spread it out to help it cool faster. Let it cool until you can handle it. It should be warm and pliable rather than hot.
6. Take a small piece of the warm mixture. Roll it into a short thin stick in your palms. Aim for about six centimetres long. Work quickly, since it stiffens as it cools. Warm your hands if it starts to crack. Set each stick on a tray as you go. Roll each stick in icing sugar.
7. Coat them completely and generously. Let them dry for a good few hours. Wrap each one in coloured tissue paper. Pack them into decorated boxes. They keep two weeks in a cool dry place.

Technique

• The convents of colonial Antigua Guatemala developed a whole tradition of sweets, made and sold by nuns to support their houses.
• The name means little shin bones, describing the pale colour and the shape of the sticks.

Substitutions

• Evaporated milk shortens the cooking time considerably but changes the flavour.
• Caster sugar can replace icing sugar for the outer coating.

Variations

• A version with ground almonds worked through is made in some shops.
• Some makers add lime zest or a splash of rum.
• Antigua’s dulce shops make dozens of related convent sweets.

History

An Antigua convent sweet still made by the city’s dulce shops for saints’ days and Holy Week processions.

Frequently asked questions

What is Canillitas de leche?

Canillitas de leche is a dessert from Guatemala: small sticks of cooked milk and sugar, dusted white and sold in boxes. An Antigua convent sweet still made by the city’s dulce shops for saints’ days and Holy Week processions.

How long does Canillitas de leche take to make?

Canillitas de leche takes 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 sticks. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Canillitas de leche?

Yes, within limits. Evaporated milk shortens the cooking time considerably but changes the flavour. Caster sugar can replace icing sugar for the outer coating.

What is the most important thing to get right in Canillitas de leche?

Bring the pan up to a steady boil. Keep it at a strong simmer rather than a rolling boil. Stir it every few minutes at the start. Stir it constantly towards the end. It takes about an hour in total.