biscochitos

By gabrielaskitchen • December 15, 2009 • 5 Comments

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Author Notes: Biscochitos (beez-coh-chee-tohs) are a melt-in-your-mouth-can’t-have-just-one shortbread cookie. They are flavored with cinnamon-sugar sweetness and aromatic anise seed. But vegetarians be warned (yes, I said vegetarians, not vegans) these cookies contain lard.

During Christmastime my family enjoys meals of Tamales, Christmas Tacos, Posole, Menudo, Red and Green Chile, topping-off each meal with a few Biscochitos dunked in a cup of coffee or served alongside a glass of wine. Every year my grandmother would bake dozens upon dozens of these sparkling cookies in the shape of diamonds, stars, angels, bells and simple circles. A plate of golden brown Biscochitos would be waiting for visitors who’d stop for good conversation and hot coffee.

During college my mom and my nina would each send me bubble-wrapped boxes of biscochitos. Now that I have a kitchen it’s time I bake my own. The recipe I share with you is a combination of my grandmother’s, my mother’s and my nina’s recipes. You may substitute vegetable shortening for lard and water for wine but I guarantee that the cookies will not be nearly as delicious.

- gabrielaskitchen

Serves 9-10 dozen small cookies

dough

1 1/2 cup lard (one 1 lb. box)
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 teaspoons anise seed
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweet white wine (plus extra 1/4 cup, if needed)

cinnamon-sugar sparkle

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Cream together the lard and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs and anise, add to the lard/sugar mixture. Mix well.
In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the lard mixture a third at a time. Knead well with your hands until dough sticks together, it should be slightly sticky but able to form a firm dough ball. If the dough is too dry add more wine a teaspoon at a time, if it is too sticky add more flour a teaspoon at a time.
Divide the dough into three large balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight so the dough becomes firm and manageable.
The next day preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough with a liberally floured rolling pin on a liberally floured surface 1/8 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes.
Dip one side of each cookie into cinnamon-sugar mixture and place on cookie sheet sugar side up.
To ensure all cookies bake evenly, bake each shape cookie in batches of alike shapes and sizes. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the bottom of the cookies are brown and the tops are golden.
Remove from oven, and while still warm dip in cinnamon-sugar again, dipping them while they are warm is key to getting the cinnamon sugar to stick. Store in a cool-dry place or freeze for up to six months.