- 1
Ingredients
- For the cookies:
- two different ingredients
- first up
- 1 pound lard
- 1 heaping cup sugar
- 2-3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 teaspoons anise seed
- 6 cups flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 cup red wine
- 1/8 cup orange-juice concentrate, partially thawed
- For the topping:
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup sugar
- second
- Ingredients:
- 6 c. flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
- 3 tsp. anise seed (freshly ground or smashed to release the oils)
- 2 eggs
- 2 c. lard (a small 16 oz. carton)
- 1/4 c. white wine (I like to use a semi-sweet wine, like a Riesling)
- Topping:
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 Tbs. cinnamon
Preparation
Step 1
This is a very special recipe that I'm sharing with you today! This is one of my favorite recipes in the whole wide world! Ever heard of biscochitos? These delightful little cookies are the official state cookie of New Mexico. There are several variations of this recipe, but the flavors are the same... cinnamon sugar and anise. Some people use shortening instead of lard. Some people use anise oil instead of the real thing. Some people use brandy or rum instead of white wine. And then there's the measurements of the ingredients.
I'll be honest with you. When I was growing up, I just didn't get why people liked biscochitos. They were boring. I only liked them when my grandma put frosting on them. And depending on who made them, sometimes they weren't sweet. So I spent the first 20 years of my life not really eating biscochitos. And I loved that they seem to be a holiday treat or a special occasion treat, which now seems like a crime! (Though I have to admit that I usually only make them for Christmas because they can be time consuming. But I really should make them more often!)
Now every year, I make biscochitos to give away during the holidays. And it seems like every year I never make enough, even though one batch makes about 8 dozen cookies.
My biscochitos are the sweeter kind, but not overly so. There are some that make them that aren't sweet at all or mildly sweet. I
also make mine a little more thin-- a little less than 1/4 inch thin (some people make them like 1/2 or more in thickness). I
find that when they're thinner as well as creaming the lard (have to
use lard!), the cookies melt in your mouth a little bit more. And I also dip them in the cinammon sugar mixture before AND after they bake.
3. Cream the lard until very fluffy. Kinda like frosting consistency. About 5 minutes.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a separate bowl, cream lard with sugar and freshly ground anise seeds until fluffy. (This is a very important step because you want a lot of air incorporated into the lard because it helps make the cookies lighter.)
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Mix in flour mixture and white wine until well blended.
Mix the 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp of cinnamon in a small bowl.
Dip tops of the cut out cookies in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Remove from oven and immediately dip the tops of the cookies again in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place cookies on cooling sheet and allow to cool completely.
Makes about 8 dozen cookies, depending on the size.