Petite Fortune (Cashew Macaroons)

pettite_fortuneThere is this belief that the best way to a man’s or anyones heart is through the stomach. Before World War II, when my father was courting my mother, the ‘aphrodisiac’ that my mother prepared for my father was Petite Fortune.

I would only taste it when a grandaunt (Rosario Arnedo Gonzalez) would bring some to the Sunday lunch that my grandmother (Rosario Valdes Gonzalez) hosted. As a child, I would stuff these bite sized jewels into my pockets and slowly gobble them up. They tasted absolutely heavenly! At that time I didn’t know how to cook nor bake or even have the guts to ask ‘how did you make them?’ When Lola Charing Arnedo Gonzalez (to distinguish her from my Lola Charing,since both were Gonzalez) passed away, I found that out the bake shop Hizon’s made them. When I would have the craving for them, I would go to Hizon’s Bake Shop and have my fill. I hardly let any bake shop or restaurant, get away with them being the only ones to fulfill my heart’s cravings. In due time, through research and experimentation, I finally came up with my own version, since I didn’t ask for the recipe from either of them. My husband, Stan, would say “these are so addicting; you can never have just one or two; you want more and more!” See! the old adage is true.

Ingredients:

  • 350 grams cashew nuts – slightly toasted in oven; cooled and finely ground; use a food processor or nut grinder
  • 135 grams (2/3 cup) caster sugar
  • 50 grans (1/3 cup) confectioner/icing sugar – sift well
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 55 grams (1/4 cup) butter – melted
  • 6 tablespoons thick cream

Special Equipment:

  • 50 pieces 1-inch diameter patty pan liner (tiny cup cake paper)
  • 2 patty pans with 12 holes each (cup cake tray for tiny cup cakes with 1 1/5-inch holes)

Procedure:

  1. Preheat oven to 300ºF (150ºC).
  2. In a mixer bowl, place all the ingredients.
  3. Using the paddle attachment of mixer, mix the ingredients for about 5 minutes; till well blended.
  4. Scoop 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture into each patty pan liner.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven, cool in pan for 5 minutes and remove from pan and cool on baking rack.
  7. Store in air tight jar or package them in containers.

Note:

  • These scrumptious bites make good gifts; specially for the Christmas season since they keep well even if they are not refrigerated.

4 Comments

  1. The recipe is spot on! Soooo goooood that I can’t stop eating them! I almost finished the whole thing! My kids loved it and my husband asked me to make some more. Just one thing though. Mine didn’t rise in the middle. Do you think it’s the oven? I put it one 300F. Should I make it higher? I used a small muffin/cupcake pan and it’s the smallest one I can here in the US. It’s bigger than what they use in the philippines to make coconut macaroons.Do you think it’s the size of my pan that made it shrink in the middle? I can’t wait to make this again this weekend.
    Thank you,
    ShaSha

    • I am so pleased that my version of Petite Fortune hits the spot! Regarding your sunken middle, when the baking pan it too big, no matter what you do, the middle portion will be sunken; that is why tiny baking pans are used. There is no leaven used and it all depends on the eggs used to make it rise. Try and find the tiny muffin or bite sized tins to bake your Petite Fortune in.

  2. Hi!

    I tried this today using another well known Chef’s recipe (she’s also from Pampanga) and they taste great. I would like to try your recipe. But I have not really seen caster sugar here. I can use powdered sugar, though. Can I just use that ( too sweet) or can I use granulated sugar?

    Thanks.

    • Caster sugar is finer than granulated sugar, but not as fine as powdered sugar. You can make your own by blending granulated sugar for a few seconds in a blender or food processor to make it a little finer. Be sure to measure by weight and not by volume.

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