Did this recipe give me trouble! I think I tried at least twelve different versions before I got this one right. It came from Amparo, a Colombian friend in Panamá. She asked her mother for the recipe, and I adjusted it to be made with white farmer’s cheese. It is traditionally made with cuajada (fresh, raw non-pasteurized milk cheese).
Preheat the oven to 300 F. Place the cheese, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the food processor and mix for 15 seconds. Add the egg and milk and process 2 minutes more. The mixture will leave the sides of the food processor bowl after 1 minute; continue mixing for the full 2 minutes, until you don’t feel or see the cheese, and the mixture is soft.
Take 1 ½ tablespoonfuls of dough and form little balls with your hands.
Spray or lightly butter a cookie sheet or mini-cupcake molds, and place the almojábanas there.
Place the baking sheets or molds on the upper rack of the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are lightly golden.
Chef Coach, Food Nutritionist and Cook in Love with Latin Food, Author of six cookbooks. 40+ years of Experience in the Food Industry & Nutrition
...& the Science of Food