Preparing centerfilled food product

A continuous process for producing a tubular centerfilled food product having an edible baked thermoplastic shell surrounding a core of edible filling material, which comprises

• preparing a semi-liquid batter having a relatively high content of mono-and/or disaccharides,
• carrying a layer of said semi-liquid batter between a pair of opposed, vertically spaced apart, heated moving surfaces to form between said surfaces a continuous layer of batter having a controlled, set thickness,
• continuously passing said batter layer through a heating zone in which the batter layer is heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to bake the batter layer into a continuous, elongated, pliable, deformable thermoplastic sheet having a temperature of at least about 212.degree. F. and a moisture content of no more than about 5% by weight,
• continuously passing said elongated, pliable, thermoplastic baked sheet while at a temperature above about 210.degree. F. from said heating zone through a forming tube in which the edges of said sheet are progressively raised and curved until said edges are butted together to form a continuous cylindrical tube having a closed longitudinal butted seam,
• continuously filling the core of said continuous tube with an edible viscous filling material at a point after the edges of the sheet are butted together,
• cooling the filled tube until the baked sheet becomes rigid, and
• cutting the cooled filled tube into pieces of desired length.