Polvorones are one of the vital common Spanish Christmas cookies! Their crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture is certain to be successful with your loved ones and buddies. This 5-ingredient Spanish almond cookie recipe is ideal to do this Christmas season.
For those who’re on the lookout for different Spanish Christmas recipes, be sure you strive my recipes for mantecados and the favored Epiphany bread, roscón de reyes.
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Introduction
Right here in Spain, we love sugar–especially in our espresso! Not surprisingly, there’s an abundance of pleasant Christmas treats in Spain, and a favourite is polvorones.
These crumbly, shortbread-like almond cookies are made with almonds and lard (manteca). They’re a part of the mantecado household of lard-based cookies. Consuming these cookies and different pork merchandise was traditionally related to demonstrating one’s Catholic religion.
These days, the lard is commonly swapped with butter, making polvorones appropriate for vegetarians.
Substances
Interested by what components you want to make your first batch of Spanish polvorones? Like most Spanish recipes, it solely takes a handful of straightforward, but flavorful components. Let’s discuss what you may want!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is all you want right here. Be sure you measure it precisely (ideally with a kitchen scale) to stop the dough from being too dry.
- Almonds: Begin with blanched almonds. You may toast them briefly within the oven, then grind them into almond flour. For those who’re in a rush, you can begin with 83g of ready-made, blanched almond flour.
- Lard: That is the normal fats in polvorones, however you possibly can simply substitute it with unsalted butter or vegetable shortening.
- Sugar: You may want granulated or caster sugar to make the dough, and a few powdered sugar for adorning the cookies earlier than serving.
- Cinnamon: This provides a pleasant taste and aroma to the cookies. Select a very good high quality cinnamon, resembling Saigon, for the perfect taste.
See recipe card for full data on components and portions.
Variations
- Vegan: Use vegetable shortening instead of the lard.
- Vegetarian: Use unsalted butter as an alternative of the lard.
How one can Make
For those who’d wish to see the total components and directions, scroll to the underside of the put up for the printable recipe card.
- Toast the almonds at 350°F (180°C) till they’re flippantly browned, about 8-10 minutes. (picture 1)
- Grind the almonds with a meals processor till they’ve a flour-like consistency. (picture 2)
- Beat the lard, sugar, and cinnamon till clean and creamy. (picture 3)
- Add the flour and floor almonds and blend till a crumbly dough kinds. (picture 4)
- Work the dough right into a ball and place it on a sheet of wax paper or parchment. (picture 5)
- Roll it out with a floured rolling pin till it is ½ inch (12 mm) thick. Lower into cookies with a cutter. (picture 6)
- Bake at 250°F (120°C) till flippantly browned across the edges, about 25-Half-hour. (picture 7)
- Let the cookies cool on the tray, as they’re fragile and may crumble in the event you transfer them whereas they’re sizzling. Get pleasure from at room temperature! (picture 8)
Recipe FAQs
Polvorones originated in Spain, and had been dropped at Mexico and the Philippines by the Spaniards. They’re now common in all of those nations!
Mantecados are a sort of Spanish cookie made with lard (manteca), they usually have a deliciously crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth texture. Polvorones are a sort of mantecados usually served at Christmas in Spain.
Polvorones are named after polvo, the Spanish phrase for “powder.” These cookies will crumble to mud in your mouth once you eat them! Extra strictly talking, they’re named after the beneficiant dusting of powdered sugar on high.
Leftover polvorones will hold at room temperature for 3-5 days. You may freeze the cookies earlier than or after baking for as much as 3 months.
Serve
Polvorones are normally loved on their very own, or maybe with a cup of espresso (like this Spanish café con leche) or eggnog. Though it isn’t a conventional mixture, the fragile texture of the polvorones would distinction properly with the richness of Spanish sizzling chocolate.
If you would like to serve polvorones together with different Spanish desserts, you’d take pleasure in attempting tarta de Santiago (Spanish almond cake), gateau Basque, buñuelos, or ensaimadas.
Skilled Ideas
- Toasting the almonds earlier than grinding them into flour will add loads of taste to the cookies.
- For those who’re in a rush, substitute the toasted, blanched almonds with ¾ cup (83g) of blanched almond flour. You may as well toast the flour briefly in a skillet or within the oven earlier than utilizing.
- Make sure that the lard or butter is at room temperature earlier than utilizing.
- Let the polvorones cool utterly on the tray earlier than shifting them, or they could break.
Different Spanish Christmas Recipes
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Polvorones: Spanish Christmas Cookies
Polvorones are a conventional Christmas cookie from the south of Spain. Constituted of almonds, they crumble into a fragile powder in your mouth, good for absorbing eggnog!
Print (photographs non-obligatory) Pin PriceServings: 16 cookies
Energy: 178.26kcal
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Place the almonds on a baking tray and toast within the oven till they’re flippantly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Scale back the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C).
Take the almonds out of the oven and grind right into a flour-like texture in a meals processor.
Beat the lard, sugar, and cinnamon with an electrical hand mixer till clean and creamy.
Add the flour and floor almonds to the lard combination and incorporate right into a crumbly dough. Work the dough into the form of a ball.
Place a sheet of waxed paper or parchment onto a clear countertop or chopping board, then place the ball of dough on high. Fastidiously flatten it with a floured rolling pin to a rectangle that is about ½ inch (12mm) thick.
Lower the dough into spherical cookies with a cutter, then gently transfer the cookies to a greased baking tray with a spatula.
Bake the cookies for 25-Half-hour, till you see the perimeters begin to flip a golden brown. Permit the cookies to chill on the tray, as shifting them whereas they’re sizzling will seemingly trigger them to crumble.
As soon as the cookies have cooled utterly, mud them with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature. Get pleasure from!
Notes
- Toasting the almonds earlier than grinding them into flour will add loads of taste to the cookies.
- For those who’re in a rush, substitute the toasted, blanched almonds with ¾ cup (83g) of blanched almond flour. You may as well toast the flour briefly in a skillet or within the oven earlier than utilizing.
- Make sure that the lard or butter is at room temperature earlier than utilizing.
- Let the polvorones cool utterly on the tray earlier than shifting them, or they could break.
Diet
Serving: 1cookie | Energy: 178.26kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.46g | Protein: 1.32g | Fats: 5.87g | Saturated Fats: 3.66g | Ldl cholesterol: 15.25mg | Sodium: 1.75mg | Potassium: 20.8mg | Fiber: 0.38g | Sugar: 22.44g | Vitamin A: 177.27IU | Vitamin C: 0.08mg | Calcium: 4.41mg | Iron: 0.61mg
