Biscochitos New Mexicos Holiday Cookie Food

BISCOCHITOS: NEW MEXICO'S HOLIDAY COOKIE

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder and salt together into medium bowl.
• Crush anise seeds with mortar and pestle until coarse.
• In another bowl, cream lard and sugar along with the anise seeds until fluffy.
• Beat egg into creamed lard and egg mixture.
• Add flour and brandy until well-blended.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness. Dough will be a little crumbly.
• Cut into shapes using cookie cutters or cutting by hand. The traditional shape for biscochitos is the
• Dust with Cinnamon and sugar mixture (see note).
• Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F or until browned.

BISCOCHITOS - NEW MEXICO'S STATE COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream lard with sugar and anise seeds until fluffy.
• Beat in egg until incorporated.
• On low speed, add milk and flour mixture to lard mixture until incorporated.
• Turn dough out on lightly floured board, knead gently to form a ball, then press to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut into shapes OR roll into balls (~1 inch in size).*.
• Toss shapes in cinnamon and sugar topping.**.
• On greased baking sheets, bake for 13 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Yield: about 50 small cookies.
• *If you roll them into balls, be sure to press them down slightly with a fork after positioning them onto baking sheets.
• **The easiest way to do this is to put several balls/shapes and the cinnamon and sugar into a small tupperware container. Put the lid on and shake gently.