If you peek into a New Mexican kitchen at Christmas, you’ll probably see a pan of these delicious treats cooling on the counter. Aromatic flavors of cinnamon, anise and orange blend together for a fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth cookie. My dad practically demands homemade biscochitos every year, and I’m happy to oblige. There’s only one problem: much like potato chips, it’s impossible to have just one biscochito.
What Are Biscochitos?
Declared the New Mexico state cookie in 1989, biscochitos (or “bizcochitos”) are like a light shortbread cookie flavored with anise and orange zest, and coated in cinnamon sugar. A beautiful encapsulation of the convergence of cultures that makes up New Mexico the name is essentially a Spanish diminutive of the English word “biscuit.” Most commonly served at Christmastime, New Mexicans and their families have fond memories of whipping these up with family every year.
Tips for Making Biscochitos
White American palates may struggle with the ingredients of these cookies, but I encourage you to stick it out! Even if you don’t love the black licorice flavor of star anise, I encourage you to try these cookies! I grind up whole anise in my coffee grinder, which makes the flavor far more subtle and aromatic and less medicinal. If you’re looking for whole anise or anise seeds and strike out in the spice aisle, try the Asian or Latin section at the grocery store.
Yes, Lard
As far as the fat in these cookies goes, it’s lard and lard only. The lard serves two purposes: firstly, lard spreads less and is easier to work with than butter. This means biscochitos are a great cookie to make with little ones! Secondly, lard softens and sinks into the dough. If you’ve ever been to a Mexican panadería and wondered how they get their galletas (cookies) so light and crisp, yet melty, it’s lard.
The lard means these cookies are NOT vegetarian, so warn your friends with dietary restrictions appropriately! For a vegetarian option, you could try vegetable shortening (a.k.a. Crisco) as it is also shelf-stable at room temperature. You can find lard in the baking aisle at the grocery store, usually near vegetable oils.
Biscochito Recipe
Biscochitos
Equipment
- rubber spatula
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Electric mixer (optional)
- Cookie cutter
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie sheets
- Cooling racks
- spatula
Ingredients
- 3 c all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 c lard softened
- 3/4 c white sugar
- 1 tsp ground anise
- Zest of 1/2 a small navel orange
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp brandy
- ¼ c white sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
- Beat together lard and ¾ c sugar with an electric mixer until totally smooth. Add anise and orange zest and keep beating until fluffy. Beat in egg, then brandy.
- Add in the flour mixture in batches, scraping the bowl between each addition, until totally combined.
- Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours (I prefer overnight).
- On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out dough with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/4 or 1/2 inch. (The thinner the cookies, the crispier they'll be).
- Cut dough with a favorite cookie cutter in a simple shape. I like a star. Note: these cookies break easily so avoid cookie cutters with thin parts.
- Place the cookies onto ungreased baking sheets. These cookies don't really spread in the oven, so you can put them very close together.
- Reroll, cut, and place cookies until as much dough as possible has been used up.
- Mix together remaining cinnamon and sugar together with a fork in a small bowl. Sprinkle each cookie generously with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden. Let cool for 2 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack
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