Ballokume is an Albanian treat starting in the city of Elbasan, which is well known all through Albania. It is customarily eaten on Dita e Verës, celebrated on 14 March. It is sometimes called kulaç me finj, as it might alternatively contain finj, a combination of ash remains from a wood stove boiled in water.
Ballokume
Print RecipeIngredients
- 500g melted butter
- 500g caster sugar
- 8 eggs
- 2 tablespoons water of ashes (or milk)
- 1kg cornstarch
Instructions
-
Pour 1 tablespoon of ashes from a wood fire into a bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of water and stir well.
Let stand and steep for 30 minutes, then strain through a cheesecloth. -
In the absence of ashes, milk can be used.
-
In a large copper container, add the melted butter.
-
Add the sugar and mix well for 3 minutes with a wooden spoon until you obtain a foamy mixture.
-
Then add the eggs one by one while continuing to beat for 10 minutes.
-
Add 2 tablespoons of water of ashes (or 2 tablespoons of milk) and beat again for 5 minutes.
-
Finally, add the flour gradually and mix all the ingredients until obtaining a very homogeneous dough.
-
If the mixture appears liquid, add 1 or 2 spoonfuls of all-purpose flour and mix well.
-
Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
-
Preheat an electric, gas oven or wood oven to 170 C,
-
Form small 2 oz. balls and place them, spaced well on a baking sheet, greased or lined with parchment paper.
-
Flatten each ball slightly after shaping them
-
Bake for 40 minutes.
-
When out of the oven, wait 20 minutes before placing the ballokume on a rack to allow them to cool completely.
-
Store them in an airtight metal box.