Sweets: Cheese Bars and Polvoron

(First drafted 9/18/2015)

CREAM CHEESE BARS

When it comes to desserts, cheese cake is always the first choice for me. It doesn't have to be a big piece. As long as it tastes good, a bite-size would certainly satisfy sweet tooth.

One day in September 2013, a friend told me about a confectionary store that sold little individually wrapped cream cheese bars. Inspired by her story, I made some right away. These keep well for a week in the fridge.

POLVORON

Polvoron is a childhood favorite of mine. We used to have them for snacks and had fun talking while our mouths were full of it. If you are a daring person, you should try doing the same and I guarantee that you would feel like a dragon spewing powder through your mouth! Maybe that was an exaggeration but beware, you might inhale the powder and end up choking!

Polvoron is derived from the Spanish word "polvo", meaning powder. It is a kind of shortbread - soft and crumbly - made with toasted flour, skim milk, sugar, and melted butter. Ground nuts or root products are sometimes included. For a Japanese touch, try adding powdered green tea.

One of my daughters love polvoron so much that she almost always request me to make some for her ...especially for her birthday.

As you see, the ones I had made so far were shaped like cute cherry blossoms - simply because I did not have a molder - a special kind of mold with a presser for shaping polvorons.  I used a veggie cutter, filled it with the polvoron mixture, and pressed it out with my finger. I also wrapped each polvoron in soft paper so that crumbs would not spill when eaten.  After wrapping them, I refrigerate them to keep their shape ( the butter would stiffen) and to prevent spoilage. They keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge,

Come to think of it,  the size of these polvorons was just the right size for one mouthful. Yummmm.