Biscochitos: A New Mexican Cookie
Whenever my friend Suzanne visits New Mexico, she brings Biscochitos home to me as a treat. This delicious sugar cookie has two ingredients that make it unique: anise and brandy. I recently baked some for a party in traditional Christmas shapes.
Suzanne kindly shared her recipe with me. We both agree that it’s best to double this recipe because why go to the work of making cookies if you aren’t going to make a lot?
Bischochitos
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, lard, or unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp anise seed
1 T brandy
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1/4 tsp. cinnamon for dredging
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first five ingredients in a food processor and blend until the shortening and sugar are creamed, about 5 to 10 seconds, stopping once to scrape down the bowl with a spatula. With a fork, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Still using the fork, add the shortening mixture from the processor and keep blending until no loose flour appears in the bowl and the dough begins to draw into a mass.
Pat dough into a ball and chill for 15 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Dredge in cinnamon sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, turn cookie sheets, and then bake for two more minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
The cinnamon-sugar coating gives them a bit of extra special flavor. The next time I make these, I plan to ice them and add a drop of brandy to the icing.
Friday night I attended a ladies’ party where we tested under $15 Chardonnays and had a dirty Santa re-gift exchange.
I shared these cookies with my friends and brought my favorite inexpensive Chardonnay, Lindemans Bin 65.
I came home with fewer cookies, an empty bottle, and a really vile beer mug.
Next up in my Christmas baking will be Granny’s famous super thin, super delicious sugar cookies.
These make melt-in-your mouth cookies that are even better coated in a thin icing with sprinkles. I can’t make them quite as well as Granny but I try!
What have you baked or plan to bake?
I love me some cookies. Isn’t Anise seed the stuff that tastes like licorice?
Your party sounds like fun! You’ve got me curious about the beer mug though.
Awesome! I will have to try these out. I love the idea of the under $15 party, but not so sure I need another beer mug in this house 🙂
Where did you find anise seed? Just any grocery? Thanks for sharing!
Paula,
We make these every year. This is a cookie I grew up with! I posted about them last year on my blog. We don’t use brandy in our recipe but ANISE is a must. Yours are beautiful. Our’s are a group affair and they never turn out pretty, but they are good!
Yum. Wish I had one—or TEN!
Oh my word I need to give this recipe a try!!! xo
Congrats on the feature! These look so yummy. Your pictures are fabulous, too!
I’ve scarcely done any baking yet–but I’m going to be on the lookout for your thin cookie recipe if you share it! These cookies you’re posting about today look delicious. I love the idea of an under-$15-wine party–that’s brilliant! The wine we drink on a regular basis really needs to fall into that category. I sometimes see those signs that say “Life is too short to drink cheap wine,” but I disagree–there are other things I’d rather spend my money on, and a glass of less expensive wine is just fine by me! My favorite is Anakena Sauvignon Blanc. Anakena is a Chilean winery, and this bottle is less than $10. Delicious!
I make this every year too, but when I moved I lost the recipe so thanks for this one. My daughter used to make them and she would substitue the brandy for orange juice and they were very tasty.
Love the Mexican cookie recipe
These look amazing. Yummy and I plan on making these for sure.