Turrón de Doña Pepa — Peruvian Spiced Anise Layer Dessert
The authentic Peruvian Turrón de Doña Pepa — anise and sesame shortbread layers soaked in spiced chancaca syrup with cinnamon, cloves, orange juice and fruit, topped with colored sprinkles. Peru's most beloved October dessert, dedicated to Abuelo Tito.
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gr Ap Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 30 gr Powdered Milk
- 70 gr White sugar
- 20 gr Anise toasted
- 50 gr Sesame Seeds toasted and crushed
- 350 gr Shortening
- 5 Egg Yolks
- 1/4 cup water
"Miel" Syrup
- 250 gr "Raw Sugar"
- 2 cups White sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup Orange Juice
- 5 Cinnamon Sticks
- 5 Cloves
- 3 Star Anises
- 1 tbsp Whole Pepper
- 2 cups of Diced Pineapples
- 1 Apple diced
Decoration
- Colored sprinkles
Instructions
Dough
- boil water with anise then strain anise and reserve both water and anise
- In a bowl sift, flour, salt, milk powder, sugar integrate and add shortening, use a food processor to turn it to a sandy texture (you could use your hands or a fork too)
- Add eggs, water, sesame, and anise seeds, integrate, shape it like a "ball" let it rest on the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- While that is resting start the syrup
- Once is rested roll the dough and shape it like a rectangle with a 0.5-inch thicknessbake it for 10 - 12 min at 180C / 350 F, this recipe should get you at least 3 layers.
Syrup
- Add all the ingredients into a pot bring to a boil then simmer for 20 min
- Once it is done, strain it and let it cool down.
Getting all together
- Start with a layer of the dough, then cover with syrup, if it is cracked you can add some of the crumbles "patch" the layer. repeat process and end with syrup, then cover with the colored sprinkles
Notes
On the chancaca: Chancaca is raw Peruvian cane sugar, dark, unrefined, and deeply flavored. In the US, it's most easily found at Latin grocery stores or online. Piloncillo (Mexican raw sugar cone) is the best substitute and is widely available at supermarkets with a Latin section. Brown sugar works as a last resort, but the flavor is noticeably different.
On the texture: The finished turrón should be firm enough to slice cleanly but not hard. If your syrup was too thick, it can make the layers stiff; if too thin, the layers won't hold together. The target consistency when hot is "coats the back of a spoon and falls off slowly."
On the crumbs tip: When you roll and bake the sheets, you'll have trim pieces and crumbs. Save them. Use the crumbs to patch any holes or gaps in your assembled layers — press them into place before adding the next layer of syrup. Nothing goes to waste.
On the shortening: Traditional Peruvian recipes use manteca vegetal (vegetable shortening). Crisco works well. Butter is not the right substitute here; it changes the texture significantly.
On slicing: Use a sharp knife and slice with a single downward press rather than a sawing motion. Warm the knife slightly under hot water, dry it, and the cuts will be much cleaner.
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