A very popular treat for kids from decades ago, Gofio is a perfect choice to incorporate into a child's birthday party or use this Dominican sweet corn powder to make one of my favorite Dominican breakfast hot drinks. You'll also love how easy it is to make with my video-recipe.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jan 3, 2008
Why we ❤️ it
"Goooofffffffiooo! " screamed the kids, mouths full of this sweet powder, covering their unsuspecting friends with one of Dominican children's traditional sweet treats.
Part treat, part practical joke, Gofio, our beloved sweet corn powder, was one of those things that you could buy in nearly every Dominican colmado.
What's gofio?
Gofio is a sweetened roasted corn powder and a popular Dominican dessert. Gofio gets its name from the ancestral Spanish Canary Islands toasted grain flours, one of which is also made from corn (maize).
Back in the 70s (yeah, I am dating myself here), if you were lucky, you could even win a toy with the purchase of your Gofio.
Yeah, ask your mama what a chuflai was.
Some lucky kids got a token in their gofio cones that they could exchange for some cheap toys at colmados, kinda like the ancient version of today's scratch-offs. This gave us the expression "se lo sacó en un chuflai" (he/she won it in a chuflai), meaning getting stuck with an unexpected -- and often unwanted -- object or person.
The top price was a plasticky, naked baby doll, the looks of which would give modern children nightmares, and necessitate a lifetime of therapy (think a third-rate version of the Kewpie doll). Perhaps that's what's wrong with us oldies.
Gofio (sweet corn powder) cones.
Serving suggestions
This makes a fun treat at children's parties. You could also include your own token for a price (see instructions after recipe), and perhaps one of your guests should be so lucky and win some ugly toy. Therapists have to make a living too.
Another great use for gofio is as the main ingredient for Chocolate de maíz, or chocolate de gofio, a cocoa-like corn-based Dominican hot drink.
Making the gofio cones
- Cut 12 circles 9 inches [23 cm] in diameter from food-safe paper. Cut them into half circles.
- Roll the papers to make the cones and tape the end.
- Fill out the cones with gofio, leaving half an inch of space at the top, and fold the edges at the top. Hold it with a piece of adhesive tape. Alternatively, you can leave them open and place them upright in a glass or vase.
About this recipe
This treat was originally prepared using dry corn grain that was roasted and then ground in a big mortar by hand. But who has time for that?
In this version I came up with, we will use regular medium-grain cornmeal, which makes it much easier and faster, and the results are nearly the same.
Video
Recipe
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Gofio [Video+Recipe] Sweet Corn Powder
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ cup powdered white sugar
Instructions
1. Heat
Pour the cornmeal into a cast iron or aluminum pot. Heat over medium heat.
2. Toast
- Cook stirring vigorously until it turns a uniform golden brown color.
3. Mix
- Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Mix in sugar.Cool to room temperature.
4. Make cones
- Make the paper cones with food-grade paper.
5. Serve
Fill paper cones and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More corn (maize) recipes
Corn is an ancient ingredient in our cuisine, and in our blog, you can find Chacá, Chenchén, Harina de maíz, and many more delicious recipes with corn.
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