Golfeados are Venezuelan sweet rolls, and they have two key ingredients that are both simple and inspired: papelón (the molasses-like by product of sugar cane processing), and queso llanero, a white salty cheese. Both are rolled up inside an anise-flavored sweet roll dough, then baked, drizzled with syrup made from the papelón, and sprinkled with more grated cheese. Genius!
This recipe is a shortcut version using refrigerated crescent roll dough. Feel free to use homemade sweet roll dough (such as
this dough prepared in a bread machine). You can find papelón (also called
panela) in Latin food markets.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: About 16 rolls.
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe homemade sweet roll dough, or 3 cans of refrigerated crescent roll dough.
- 8 ounces semi-soft salted white cheese, like farmer's cheese or quesillo
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- _____
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon anise flavoring
- 1/4 cup water
- Pinch of salt
Preparation:
Grate the cheese and set aside.
Roll out the dough into about 12 b y 18 inch rectangle. If using crescent roll dough, unroll the dough in each can and roll lightly to press seams together, so that you have 3 separate rectangles of dough, thenn join the rectangles together side by side along the longer side.
Brush dough with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle all over with 1/2 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar. Sprinkle 2/3 of the grated cheese on top of the sugar.
Roll the dough up into a log, starting with the long side. Slice the log of dough into 1-inch thick slices, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. Brush tops of rolls with butter.
Bake rolls at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. While the rolls are baking, make the glaze: Bring 2 tablespoons butter, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons molasses, the anise flavoring, and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until thickened.
When rolls are golden brown, remove from the oven and brush with the glaze. Sprinkle remaining grated cheese all over the rolls and return to the oven for about 3-5 minutes, until cheese just starts to melt.
Serve warm.
