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Hojarascas
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Hojarascas (Mexican Shortbread Cookies)

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without these traditional hojarascas in our house! Called by other names, such as biscochitos, pan de polvo and polvorones, they are delicious! Don't wait until Christmas! I bake them a couple times a year!
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Resting time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 4 minutes
Servings 24 Cookies

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tsp anise seeds
  • 3 inch Mexican cinnamon stick
  • 1 c water
  • 1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening, pork lard or butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar plus more for dusting
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • Zest of 1 large orange optional
  • teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup finely ground pecans optional
  • parchment paper

You Will Also Need

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp fresh ground Mexican canela(cinnamon) or already ground cinnamon

Instructions

Directions

  • In a small pot, combine the anise seeds and cinnamon stick with 1 cup of water. Bring to a quick boil for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes. let cool.
  • Combine 1 1/4 cups of pork lard, shortening or butter and ½ cup of sugar in bowl. Using an electric hand mixer(or stand mixer), cream together until fluffy. Beat in the yolks until thoroughly blended. Strain the reserved tea. Set aside.
  • Reduce mixer speed to low and with the mixer running, mix in 1/3 cup of the cinnamon/anise tea, orange zest, baking powder and finally the flour, mixing just long enough to work in the flour. If the dough feels too crumbly, mix in a little more of reserved lard or shortening. If it feels too sticky, mix in 1-2 more tbsps of flour. If using pecans, fold them in now. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20-25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line cookie sheets with parchement paper. On a lightly floured surface,  roll out dough and use your favorite cutouts like hearts, stars or trees. You can also roll 1 inch balls and place them on the cookie sheets. Take the bottom of a glass and press cookies flat. Dip the bottom of glass in flour if it starts to stick.
  • Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, about 12 to 14 minutes. While cookies are cooling, mix the 1/2 cup of sugar with 1 tsp of canela (cinnamon). Carefully dip each cookie into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Cool completely and store in airtight container. Yields up to 2 dozen cookies.

Notes

 The orange zest is my addition. It's optional. If you like more anise flavor, you could mix in 1/2 tsp of ground anise to the dough when mixing.
The nuts are optional, but were often added to give the cookie a more traditional feel. Mexican cinnamon sticks are softer than the sticks you typically find in most markets. The Mexican cinnamon can easily be ground with a micro plane or in a coffee grinder once broken into pieces.
In the video, I used a very small star shaped cookie cutter. The cookies baked in less than 10 minutes.
HOJARASCAS WITH NO EGG
Prep Time- 30 minutes
Bake Time- 22 minutes
Yields- 28 small cookies
 
Ingredients
2 Mexican cinnamon sticks, 3 inches each
1 tsp. anise seeds
2 cups water
2 c all-purpose flour
1 c granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsps. ground cinnamon
4 oz. pork lard or vegetable shortening
 
In a small saucepan, combine the cinnamon sticks, anise seeds and 2 cups of water. Bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to below medium and continue simmering until the tea reduces by half.
While tea cooks, in a large bowl, combine the flour, ¼ c sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
When ready, strain the tea into a measuring cup. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Set aside.
To the flour mixture, cut in the pork lard or shortening with your hand until it resembles wet sand. Gradually mix in 2 ounces of the concentrated tea until the dough forms. If it is too sticky, mix in another 1-2 tablespoons of flour adding a little at a time. If it feels too dry, knead in more tea. Cover dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to ½ inch thick rectangle. Using a small 1-inch-wide round cookie cutter, cut rounds out and transfer to greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until bottoms of cookies look golden. Remove from oven. In a shallow bowl combine the
remaining sugar and cinnamon. While the cookies are still warm, dredge through the cinnamon and sugar. Once cool, store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days.