Biscochitos!

FALL IS HERE!!

I couldn't be happier that fall has finally come.  People laugh because each year I go through my own kind of seasonal cycle.  I break out the Reggae, Funk, Rap and Rock music early in the Spring to get in the mood for Summer.  Of course I end up burning myself out fairly quickly and feel that I am totally over Summer 3/4 of the way through.  On the proceeding side, I tend to start my love of Christmas music well before Thanksgiving and go all the way past New Years.  I can honestly say that I rarely burn myself out on Christmas tunes.  But Fall... Fall is that spectacular time when the leaves are changing and falling, the air is crisp, and the sun just seems to shine differently, casting a golden hue on everything it touches.  During Fall, my musical tastes are that of Opera (Luciano Pavarotti, Paul Potts, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, etc.), Classical Symphony, and of course, my un-ending love of Flamenco/Latin music.  There is nothing like putting on Pandora Radio set to Classic Symphony or Flamenco and spending a little time cooking some good food.  It moves the soul and the body.  I can feel the music transcend through me to the movement of the knife or whisk.  There is something zen like, something spiritual about it.

Enter my fall baking and the greatest cookie on Earth.... The Biscochito of Northern New Mexico!

Alright, so I might be a little biased when it comes to Biscochitos.  What can I say, I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, enveloped in my Spanish heritage and culture.  They came but once a year, Christmas time.  My grandmother would prepare the dough with love and laughter as my little sister and I dipped the fragile shapes we had cut in cinnamon and sugar, colored sprinkles, decorative sugar crystals, and occasionally, colored royal icing.  This was one of the three big cooking experiences we all looked forward to (the others being the annual roasting of Hatch green chile, and the making of tamales). 

Now, we didn't just bake a batch or two for a few small gatherings.  Nope!  Grandma would prepare dozens and dozens of cookies.  They were given as gifts, they were give to immediate and extended family, they were frozen for gradual consumption, and most of all they were eaten as fast as we could stuff them in our mouths. 

OK, let's get down to the real "nitty gritty" and talk about making these.

What you will need:

•1 cup shortening (I recommend Crisco Vegetable Shortening) (I also tossed in about 2 Tbs. butter I had leftover for the heck of it)

•2/3 cup sugar
•1 egg
•2 to 4 Tablespoons pulp free orange juice, brandy or sherry (Start with the 2 required and only add the 3rd if really needed to make the dough wet.  It is already a very wet and soft feeling dough) (Grandma always used whiskey, but I prefer the orange juice or sherry))
•1 to 11/2 teaspoons lightly crushed anise seed
•2-1/2 cups All Purpose flour
-3/4 cup corn starch (This is the secrete, for a melt in your mouth cookie)
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
•1/2 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (For dipping the cookie in prior to baking)

**Special Note**
The key here to the best Biscochitos is to not use any substitutions.  For me it is like pulling teeth because I like to try and make things as healthy as possible, usually making a ton of substitutions.  I have learned that sometimes it just isn't worth it if you eat your creations in moderation.  It is very important to follow this recipe to the "T" so it comes out like it should.

Now here is the game plan:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees


-Beat shortening with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
-Slowly beat in the 2/3 cup sugar, then the egg.
-Beat in 2 Tablespoons of the wine and the anise seed.

-Toss the flour together with the baking powder, corn starch and salt. Gently stir in, adding more juice or wine as needed to form a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1/4-inch thick and cut into shapes as desired. Dip the top and bottom side of each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 6 minutes, remove from the oven and gently flip the cookies over, and continue baking for another 7 minutes, just until the edges turn a pale blond (13 minutes in all). Let cool a few minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in a cookie jar or airtight container.

I have been playing around with the cooking times a little and found that 13-14 minutes is prefect for a more tender cookie.  My grandmother tended to cook them a little longer.  I will admit that my mother and I were partial to the ones that were a little over done and darker.  I always liked a crunchier and more crispy cookie.
This time around I am trying for more of a tender, melt in your mouth cookie like my Aunts Mikky and Marion's neighbor, Mrs. Gomez, would make.

Here is a little history on Biscochitos, if you are into that kind of thing.  I am.

Originally introduced to Mexico by Spanish explorers in the 16th Century, they are known by different names in other countries or other cities in the United States.


In Spain they are called Mantecados. This anise and cinnamon flavored, shortbread cookie has been enjoyed by residents as well as many visitors to New Mexico. As a festive cookie it is enjoyed during special celebrations, such as weddings, quincenieras, baptisms and religious holidays. As the "Original Mexican Wedding Cookie" these gourmet treats were cut in the diamond shape because the diamond signified purity for the wedding.

In 1989 New Mexico House Bill 406 declared the bizcochito as New Mexico's Official State Cookie. The battle over the state cookie was not about adopting it but how to spell it. Several lawmakers got on the House floor to press for the "s" or"z". Eventually the Senate returned it as "bizcochito".


I certainly hope you give these a try.  I know that, living in the Great Northwest now, not many people have a frame of reference on how a great Biscochito should taste, but that shouldn't stop anyone from trying to make these.  Enjoy the taste and culture of Northern New Mexico. There is history and a legacy in every bite.

Thanks for reading and keep on eating.

-Chris