Yema balls

Yema is a traditional Filipino candy, made primarily with egg yolks and condensed milk.  It is commonly formed into a pyramid shape and wrapped with coloured cellophane, making this a festive treat.  Ground peanuts can also be added.


For this version though, I skipped the "festive" part and made yema balls instead.  For presentation purposes, toothpicks are used as handles but I have a number of food ornaments which I decided to use instead.

While this recipe is straightforward, it needs a bit of patience as rushing the cooking process will result in curdled egg or worse, burnt yema!

Ingredients:
1 can (395g) condensed milk
5 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter

Procedure:
Combine the condensed milk and egg yolks on a thick-bottomed pan.

Turn on stove to medium-low heat and stir continuously to avoid burning, until a thick consistency is achieved.  This will take some time; in my case it took around 25 minutes!

In the last few minutes, add the butter and combine thoroughly.

Remove from the pan and let cool.  Then form the yema into balls.

Yema balls are actually dipped in caramel, creating a crunchy shell.  But I found it too cumbersome and decided to just roll it in sugar instead.