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New Mexico biscochitos
Anise cinnamon cookies
Anise and cinnamon sugar cookies, the state cookie
AmericanBiscochitos are New Mexico's official state cookie, baked by the thousand at Christmas, weddings and baptisms in Hispanic homes from Las Cruces to Taos. They are crumbly, short and scented with anise seed, cut into stars or fleurs-de-lis and dipped in cinnamon sugar. Grandmothers use lard, which gives the classic texture; this version uses butter so it stays vegetarian. Traditional recipes add a splash of brandy; here orange juice is used instead. Chef's tip: lightly crush the anise seeds to release the flavour.
- Total time
- 37 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
- 8 oz buttersoft
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 2 tsp anise seedslightly crushed
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 12 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ⅞ oz sugarfor coating
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Beat the 8 oz butter, 5 ½ oz sugar and 2 tsp anise seeds for 3 minutes until fluffy, then beat in the 1 egg and 2 tbsp orange juice.
5 minStep 2: Mix in the 12 ½ oz plain flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt to a soft dough. Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
32 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Mix the 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 1 tbsp ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
2 minStep 4: Roll the dough 5 mm thick and cut out with small cutters. Press the top of each cookie into the cinnamon sugar and lay on lined trays.
10 minStep 5: Bake for 10–12 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden but the tops still pale. A common mistake is baking until brown, which loses the tender, sandy bite. Cool on the trays.
12 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 135 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does new Mexico biscochitos take?
- About 37 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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