Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups whole milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- powdered sugar
Preparation:
- Place eggs, milk, sugar, and pinch of salt into a pot and mix well with a whisk.
- Bring to a boil, and cook at a low simmer. The eggs will separate and the mixture will look curdled, but continue to cook, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.
- Cook for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the liquid has almost completely boiled away. At this point it is necessary to stir continuously.
- Cook until the mixture is very thick, and no liquid remains. It should be the consistency of a sticky playdough.
- Remove from heat and place candy in the bowl of a mixer. Add the vanilla and almond flavoring.
- Using the paddle attachment, beat dough until it cools. It will stiffen and become less sticky. If dough remains sticky, knead some sifted powdered sugar into the dough.
- Refrigerate overnight. Maná will keep for 2 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic. It also freezes well.
Serving Tips: There are many ways to serve maná. The simplest is to shape it into bite-size balls and roll them in chopped nuts or powdered sugar. Or tint the maná with food coloring and shape into assorted fruits. I like to use it to make little carrots to decorate carrot cake. To use maná as a cake covering, like rolled fondant, sprinkle the counter with powdered sugar and roll it out just as you would roll out fondant or marzipan.
