Biscochitos with cinnamon sugar are a festive cutout cookie that has a tender texture like shortbread cookies and a warm golden brown color. This tender spiced treat is a traditional New Mexican cookie, typically made during the Christmas season. You’ll love rolling out and cutting a big batch of this round cookie to share with friends and neighbors or stack in a cookie jar.
Anise, cinnamon, and brandy combine for a lightly spiced cookie that’s both simple and unique. Dip the crisp, buttery cookies in tea or coffee, or nibble on them while enjoying an after-dinner cocktail. For more holiday cookie recipes, try my turtle cookies recipe, linzer cookies, or sugar cookie recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sugar – granulated sugar adds sweetness to the cookie dough, and additional sugar is mixed with cinnamon and then sprinkled on top of the cookies just before baking to give them an extra crispy top.
Anise Seed – biscochitos get their signature flavor from toasted anise seed. Sometimes described as having a licorice-like taste, anise seed is fragrant and perfect for adding to shortbread-like cookies. For this recipe, we will be toasting the seeds to bring out the sweet licorice flavor. To toast, heat a small pan on low heat, add the anise seed, and stir a few times until the seeds become fragrant. Keep in mind anise seed is not the same as star anise and cannot be swapped.
Cinnamon – I love how the cinnamon adds color and spice to the cookie dough. Cinnamon blends well with any hot drink, like tea or coffee, that you serve with these cookies.
Lard – lard gives these cookies a delicate and flaky texture. The same amount of vegetable shortening or butter is a good substitute for the lard if desired.
Brandy – this ingredient compliments the anise seed and makes the biscochitos feel extra festive and special.
How to Make Biscochitos
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, anise seed, and salt.
2. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the lard and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3. With the mixer on low, beat the eggs into the lard mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Gradually add in the flour mixture until just combined.
5. Pour in the brandy and mix until a dough forms.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and divide it into 4 pieces.
7. Shape the dough into discs, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. If chilling overnight, let the dough stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or until slightly softened before rolling.
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc at a time into 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out cookies and place about a 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps as needed. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cut cookies with cinnamon-sugar mixture, about 1/4 teaspoon per cookie. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Toast the anise seed before using. Toasting the anise will enhance the flavor, and the process is similar to toasting nuts on the stovetop. Heat a small dry pan on low heat, add the anise seed, and stir a few times until the seeds become fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before using.
- Mix the dry ingredients in slowly. Gradually add the flour mixture into the mixer while the stand mixer is running at a slow speed. This will help the dough come together smoothly without a cloud of flour billowing out.
- Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes if refrigerated overnight. If chilling the dough overnight, let it stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or until slightly softened before rolling. The dough will be too firm to roll if it does not have time to warm slightly.
- Reroll dough scraps and reuse the cookie sheet. Anytime you use a cookie cutter to make cookies, you’ll have dough scraps after cutting each batch. Press the scraps together with your hands, reroll, and cut additional cookies. You can reroll the dough while the first batch is baking and reuse the same ungreased cookie sheets with parchment.
- Dip the cutter in flour to prevent sticking. Prepare a small bowl of flour near your work area and dip the cookie cutter in the flour as needed to prevent sticking. You can also switch up the shape of the cookie cutter to make stars, diamonds, or other festive cutouts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover biscochitos in an airtight container or cookie jar for up to 1 week or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. To freeze the biscochito dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and then let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling and cutting.
I love these anise-flavored cookies for the holiday season. The buttery texture and cinnamon sugar are inviting and fun. Serve this cookie after dinner with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, ice cream, or brandy! You can even turn them into sandwich cookies by piping chocolate buttercream onto the bottom of one cookie and pressing another to the frosting. Because this is a crispier cookie, it can be stored at room temperature for up to a week, so I love making them whenever I may have holiday guests dropping in so that I have a sweet treat on hand.
Biscochitos are the New Mexico state cookie and are traditionally made with lard, but if you don’t have lard or prefer using a different fat, this recipe can be made with vegetable shortening or butter. Just use an equal amount of either substitution option to retain the crispy texture.
If you love this recipe try these out!
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Biscochitos
Equipment
- Large cookie sheets
- Large mixing bowl
- Wire cooling racks
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (720g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons anise seed toasted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups lard (450g/1 pound)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brandy (120mL)
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, anise seed, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the lard and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. With the mixer on low, beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add in the flour mixture until just combined. Pour in the brandy and mix until a dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and divide into 4 pieces. Shape the dough into discs, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. (If chilling overnight, let the dough stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or until slightly softened before rolling.)
- On a floured surface, roll one disc at a time into ¼- to ½-inch thickness. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter dipping in flour, cut out cookies and place about a 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Reroll scraps as needed. (Note you will be reusing the same prepared sheets multiple times.)
For the Topping:
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the cut cookies with cinnamon-sugar mixture, about ¼ teaspoon per cookie.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Toast the anise seed before using. Toasting the anise will enhance the flavor, and the process is similar to toasting nuts on the stovetop. Heat a small dry pan on low heat, add the anise seed, and stir a few times until the seeds become fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before using.
- Mix the dry ingredients in slowly. Gradually add the flour mixture into the mixer while the stand mixer is running at a slow speed. This will help the dough come together smoothly without a cloud of flour billowing out.
- Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes if refrigerated overnight. If chilling the dough overnight, let it stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or until slightly softened before rolling. The dough will be too firm to roll if it does not have time to warm slightly.
- Reroll dough scraps and reuse the cookie sheet. Anytime you use a cookie cutter to make cookies, you’ll have dough scraps after cutting each batch. Press the scraps together with your hands, reroll, and cut additional cookies. You can reroll the dough while the first batch is baking and reuse the same ungreased cookie sheets with parchment.
- Dip the cutter in flour to prevent sticking. Prepare a small bowl of flour near your work area and dip the cookie cutter in the flour as needed to prevent sticking. You can also switch up the shape of the cookie cutter to make stars, diamonds, or other festive cutouts.
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