Sweet aniseed Arepas

This plate, and a cup of coffee with milk is what I took for the today’s afternoon snack, just as my grandmother used to make me. Those memories of my childhood always brings a smile to my face.

When I was a child, my grandmother used to prepare the most succulent Venezuelan desserts for the children of our house. Personally, I have always loved the contrast between the different ingredients of the Sweet aniseed Arepas, the salty of the cheese and the sweet of the Panela (It is a typical ingredient in many Venezuelan food recipes, it’s basically a block of unrefined sugar), together with the taste of the corn mass, made them irresistible.

This dessert is traditionally eaten as an afternoon snack, with white cheese over it or even alone, both ways you will find a sweet meal which is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with an aniseed scent, easy to make and quite tasty

My grandmother says that the secret to make them crisp and domed is to fry them on very hot oil, and to keep the inside soft we must prepare the dough just as specified in the recipe.

Instructions to prepare the Panela Syrup:
Put the panela (unrefined cane sugar), water and anise in a small pot to simmer until the panela is completely melted, stirring every now and then so it won’t stick to the pot, and then let it thicken a little (must be more liquid than honey, similar to a syrup), and then remove it from the heat and let it cool.

Instructions for Arepas:

Step 1. Mix the flours and the salt in a bowl, then create a hole in the center of the mix and add the Panela Syrup and the water. Mix well with a wooden palette or with your hands, when you get a homogeneous mass let the dough rest for 5 minutes, so the flours can absorb the liquids well.

Step 2. Knead with the hand to integrate well, if the dough is too dry add a little water, the dough should be soft and easy to handle.

Step 3. Make small balls with the dough and crush with your hands until you get circular and flat arepitas. They must bet very thin, with a thickness between 5 and 7 millimeters (1/5” and 1/3”).

Step 4. Fry them on hot oil, pouring the hot oil over them with the help of the ladle (that gives them a dome shape) until they get golden brown color.

Step 5. Remove from the cauldron and let drain on an absorbent paper napkin. Then you can eat them, alone or with butter and cheese.