Yema is a type of Filipino Candy loved by most children and adults of all ages. It is a sweet and soft candy popular in the Philippines considered to be cuisine Filipino made from egg yolks and condensed milk. The word Yema is derived from the Spanish term of egg yolk which is Yemas De Huevo, which contributes as the main ingredient used to make Yema. Yema is a to-go snack for most individuals as you can bring it anywhere you go. Aside from that it is also one of the favorite “pasalubong” or present to families and friends especially abroad. In here, I will teach you the recipe Yema that I’ve been using for the past couple of years.

Yema Presentations

There are a lot of ways to present yema, you can make a pyramid shaped or a round Yema, others wants to coat it with melted sugar, while others add additional flavors. Its up to you how your presentation would it be like according to your own preference but the most common form is by using a colored cellophane. The Yema mixture is put inside the cellophane that is individually cut and mold it to form a round or pyramid shaped Yema. Most of the time, Yema’s are placed in a cellophane for selling purposes, to make it more catchy to the eyes because of the colored cellophane being used and makes it clean to look at too. Although for snack purposes, you do not need to wrap it around a cellophane wrap if you plan to serve it right away to your guests.

Yemas Recipe

The recipe of Yema is so easy to follow, you can make Yema on your own. That’s why most of Filipinos make Yema for business purposes. Students can also earn a little income with this too because the ingredients are not hard to find and are not expensive. You can sell it to friends, classmates, neighbors and food shops as well. During my younger years, I used to buy this sweet candy from the nearest sari sari store at a very cheap price, but I’m not sure if that’s the case now. It’s been a while I have not bought Yema now since I’m now making my own Yema instead of buying since you can make this sweet candy in more or less 30 minutes top.

Yema Recipe are budget friendly and pretty simple to acquire though. It just takes around 7 egg yolks and condensed milk, chopped walnuts (if this is not available you can opt to use peanuts instead). We also need of course a Butter to make it more richer. Sugar is needed to caramelize the Yema.

Before deciding to make your own homemade Yema, just a heads up though that if you want to wrap it with cellophane you have to make sure that you have access to a cellophane wrap. I’ve heard that in other countries it’s pretty challenging for them to find a cellophane wrap, but here in the Philippines it’s not actually an issue.

So today, I am going to teach you my favorite Filipino treat that’s so yummy. The steps are simple and pretty much easy to follow Yema recipe then let us know what you think.

How to Make Yema

Ingredients:

7 egg yolks
1 can condensed milk (14 oz.)
3 tablespoons of Butter
5 tablespoons of chopped peanuts or butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla, to add flavor (optional)
200 grams sugar

Things you’ll need:

Large bowl
Cooking pan (small and medium sized)
toothpick
Colored cellophane wrap cut into squares (10x10cm)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Mix Egg Yolks, Condensed Milk and Vanilla

In a large bowl combine egg yolks , condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until well blended.

Add 5 tablespoons of Peanuts

Add the chopped peanuts to the mixture of egg yolks and condensed milk. Set aside.

Melt the Butter

In heated medium sized cooking pan, melt the butter.

Add Egg yolks, Condensed milk and Peanut Mixture

Once Butter is melted, pour in the bowl mixture of egg yolks, condensed milk and vanilla into the cooking pan.Stir to blend well.

Bring Mixture to boil

Gradually reduce the heat. Gradually reducing the heat helps prevent the mixture from burning and overcooking. Stir constantly.

Let it cool

When consistency of the mixture is thick enough.

Form the mixture into balls

When cooled down, form the mixture into balls. The size varies according to your own preferences. But the most common and widely used Yema ball size is around 2-3 cm in diameter. To do this: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture and mold it to form into balls. You can use the palm of your hands to form the Yema into balls.

Wrap in Cellophane

Put the round Yema balls at the middle of the cellophane wrap. Twist both ends of the cellophane wrap to secure it. Continue doing this until all the mixture are wrapped.

Shell Life:

If you’re wondering how long you before the Yema ball expire, it can actually take up to 5 weeks shell life when at room temperature. However though, if you plan to keep it in a sealed container and store it inside the refrigerator it can take up to 7 weeks before it expires.

Tip:

You can put a toothpick to the Yema Balls to make it more presentable. You can leave the toothpick on the Yema balls while wrapping it so that it’s easier to take it from the cellophane wrap if you’re going to eat. However, if you plan to place the wrapped Yema ball in a plastic wrap you may remove the toothpick as this can take a lot of space on the wrapper and can puncture the plastic too.
If you want your Yema to be extra sweet, you can roll the Yema balls to the sugar before wrapping it with cellophane wrap.

Interested in other recipes? Feel free to comment below. Also, let me know your experience along the way. I look forward to hearing from you.

How To Make Yema

Yema Presentations