Homemade Puto Seko Recipe (Filipino Cornstarch Cookies)
Puto Seko is a gluten-free Filipino cookie characterized by its delicate, crumbly texture and subtle sweetness. Made primarily with cornstarch, softened butter, and condensed milk, these traditional cookies blend Filipino and Spanish culinary influences, deriving their name from the Tamil "puttu" (portioned) and Spanish "seco" (dry). Unlike its rice flour-based cousin Uraro, Puto Seko achieves its distinctive melt-in-your-mouth quality through the use of cornstarch as its main ingredient.
Equipment
- Food processor For achieving the perfect dough consistency
- Baking sheet For even baking
- Parchment Paper Prevents sticking
- Cookie Mold or Polvoron Mold For shaping the cookies
- Measuring cups and spoons (Panukat) For accurate measurements
- Wooden spoon For propping oven door during cooling
- Wire Cooling Rack (Optional) For proper cooling
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cornstarch Cornstarch/Corn flour
- ¼ cup Softened Butter Pinalambot na mantikilya
- ⅓ cup Condensed Milk Kondensadang gatas
Instructions
- First, turn on your oven and set it to 325°F. Let it heat up while you get your ingredients ready. Make sure your butter is soft but not melted.
- Put 1 cup cornstarch, ¼ cup soft butter, and ⅓ cup condensed milk in a food processor. Mix everything for about 2 minutes until it forms a soft dough. If you're mixing by hand instead, this will take about 10 minutes. The dough should feel like play dough when it's ready.
- Cover your baking pan with parchment paper. Take your cookie mold or polvoron mold and scoop some dough into it. Press down firmly, scrape off any extra dough, then press it onto your lined pan. Do this with all your dough, leaving a little space between each cookie.
- Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The cookies should stay white - we're drying them out, not browning them. After 15 minutes, turn off the oven but don't take the cookies out. Instead, open the oven door a little bit (you can use a wooden spoon to prop it open) and let the cookies cool inside. This makes them nice and crispy.
- Wait until the oven is completely cool before taking out your cookies - this takes about an hour. When you tap the cookies lightly, they should sound hollow. This means they're done perfectly.
- Let the cookies cool on the counter for another 30 minutes before eating or storing them. When they're done right, they should melt in your mouth. Store them in an airtight container and enjoy!
Tips from Lola's Kitchen
- Room temperature ingredients work best
- Don't overwork the dough to maintain tenderness
- If using manual mixing, knead gently like you're handling delicate bread
- The cookies will firm up as they cool, so don't overbake
- Listen for the hollow sound when tapping - it's the secret to knowing they're done
Nutrition
Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 33mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!