Piloncillo is a cone of brown sugar. The cones are made from panela syrup poured into cone moulds and allowed to evaporate, crystallize and harden in the moulds.
There are two kinds. The light kind (called “blanco”) is made from green sugar cane. A dark kind (called “oscuro”) is made from purple sugar cane.
The cone size varies from 1 cm, weighing around 20 g (1 inch tall, around 3/4 oz) to 7 cm tall, weighing around 250 g (3 inches, around 9 oz).
Cooking Tips
You need to grate the sugar off the cones with a knife or grater.
Substitutes
Per 7 – 9 oz (250g) weight of Piloncillo, 1 cup (6 oz/170g) Dark Brown Sugar and 2 teaspoons of Molasses.
Storage Hints
Store in sealed container indefinitely.
Language Notes
Piloncillo basically means small pylon, and that’s what the cones look like. A Mexican word for this raw brown sugar, “panocha”, is also considered a vulgar word for the female private parts.