Mexican Dessert Recipes
Biscochitos
These delicious cookies are thick and sugary with a consistency rather like shortbread. They are traditionally made in a fleur-de-lis shape but you can make them any shape you like. The biscochitos recipe originated in Spain and these cookies were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish.
They are very popular and often served as an accompaniment to wine. The traditional biscochitos recipe calls for lard rather than shortening but you can use whichever you prefer. Biscochitos are eaten over the holidays and on special occasions but they make a great sweet snack at any time.
Mexican Cookie Recipe for Biscochitos
Ingredients -
6 cups all purpose flour
1 cup butter
1 cup shortening
½ cup white wine
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon aniseed extract
2 eggs
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the butter, sugar and shortening well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend well.
Roll the dough out on a floured board until it is ¼ or ½ inch thick.
Cut it into whatever shapes you like.
Place the cookies on baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the Mexican cookies are golden brown.
You can garnish them if you like with sprinkles or anything else you fancy.
A History of Biscochitos - Tasty, Buttery Treats
Biscochitos were introduced to Mexico by Spanish conquistadores in the sixteenth century. Mexican wedding cookies and Polvorones are other names for these tasty little treats. These cookies are enjoyed during such festive celebrations as weddings, christenings, and religious holidays. They are popular at Christmas too. The first Mexican Christmas on record was in 1538, when a Franciscan monk called Fray Pedro de Gante invited the Mexicans to celebrate the festivities with him.
Because biscochitos were the original Mexican wedding cookie, they were cut into diamond shapes, as diamonds signified purity for weddings. Tradition has it that if you open a package of biscochitos and one is broken, that is the one that must be eaten first. When making a biscochitos recipe, the cookies can be cut into any shape but are often cut into the fleur-de-lis shape to represent their European heritage.
