Today we’re making hojarasca cookies! These Mexican shortbread cookies covered in cinnamon sugar are also known as bizcochitos, or pan de polvo and they are an incredibly easy and delicious to make.
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Christmas is 3 days away, or two if your celebrations happen to take place during Nochebuena, as they do in my family.
Our Christmas Eve celebrations were always filled with dozens and dozens of tamales, warm atole, ponche, and my mom’s ambroisa fruit salad. Everyone would always sit around the living room eating tamales and drinking atole, as a movie about the story of baby Jesus played on Univision, and the tradition never really changed.
Polvorones rosas (Mexican Pink Sugar Cookies) are heeeeere!
Last week I teased on Instagram that I was testing polvorones, and I got sooo many DM’s from people wanting the recipe right then and there!
Get ready to indulge in the delightful world of Polvorones Rosas, the colorful Mexican Pink Sugar Cookies! These crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside cookies are the perfect treat for the colder days ahead. Whether you’re baking with kids or enjoying some solo baking time, this recipe is sure to bring joy to your kitchen. Follow along as I share the secret behind achieving the perfect texture and crackly tops of these delectable cookies.
What are polvorones rosas?
Polvorones (which happens to be the name for like 4 different cookies) are essentially Mexico’s version of the sugar cookie but colored with yellow or pink food coloring. Sometimes referred to as the Mexican pink cookie, they are crunchy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. I asked Instagram what color I should make the ones for this post, and everyone suggested different colors, so I ended up doing just about every color in the rainbow.
I think I made about 4 batches before I landed on the perfect cookie. I wanted a cookie that was going to be crunchy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside, with nice crackly tops. I tested the temperature, baking cookies at 4 different temperatures (325, 350, 375 and 400), and I found that baking them at 350 gave me the best results.
I also started out using equal parts of margarine and shortening, but as I increased the amount of shortening vs margarine, I found that using all shortening gave me a lighter cookie with deep cracks.
Find the recipe in my new cookbook Chicano Bakes!
Tips to keep in mind when making Polvorones Rosas (Mexican Pink Sugar Cookies)
- Prepare the Dry Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set the mixture aside.
- Mix the Wet Ingredients:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter flavored shortening, white granulated sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed for 2 full minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, then reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture, one cup at a time, until fully combined.
- Add Colors and Chill the Dough:
- Divide the dough into as many colors as you desire and add gel food coloring to each portion. Mix the coloring thoroughly using your hands or the stand mixer.
- Wrap each colored dough in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Preheat and Prepare:
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape and Bake:
- After the dough has rested, scoop out 1/4 cup size balls of dough (using a standard ice cream scoop works well) and roll them into smooth balls.
- Roll each ball in cane sugar before placing 5 balls of dough on a baking sheet. Slightly flatten each cookie with the back of a measuring cup and sprinkle a bit more sugar on top.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes, one sheet at a time, until they spread out and crack, without browning.
- Cool and Enjoy:
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Repeat the baking process with the rest of the dough until all the colorful cookies are baked.
Now that it is starting to get colder and raining more often, this is a recipe I’m going to be making pretty often. If you have kids, get them involved! Separate the dough into bowls and have them add their favorite color and knead it in, and then let them help you roll them in sugar.
If you happen to make these polvorones rosas (Mexican Pink Cookies), don’t forget to tag me and send me pictures! I’m also including a quick little video tutorial below, so you can see how I like to make mine!
¡Nos vemos pronto!
- How to Make Cuernitos Mexicanos
Today I’m teaching you how to make Cuernitos Mexicanos from scratch! I teased this recipe on Instagram two weeks ago, and folks were so excited to see me developing a recipe for them. What are cuernitos? - How to Make Hojarasca Cookies (Bizcochitos Recipe)
Today we’re making hojarasca cookies! These Mexican shortbread cookies covered in cinnamon sugar are also known as bizcochitos, or pan de polvo and they are an incredibly easy and delicious to make. - Caramel Apple Chocoflan Recipe (Pastel Imposible)
Today we’re making a caramel apple chocoflan! Can you believe this now the 7th chocoflan recipe I’ve developed? Pasteles imposibles are one of my favorite types of recipes to develop. Writing and developing a recipe for cake from scratch is already challenge. Having to ensure that both the flan and cake can work together takes great skill. Plus, I love the challenge! - Pumpkin Conchas Recipe (Conchas de Calabaza)
Today we’re making pumpkin conchas, or conchas de calabaza from scratch! I shared these pumpkin conchas as an Instagram reel in September, and I did not expect for them to be a huge hit. We have a few weeks left before Thanksgiving, so I want to make sure I share this recipe before it gets here. Did I mention these pumpkin conchas are great with a cup of my pumpkin atole? - Atole de Calabaza (Creamy Mexican Pumpkin Atole)
Hola! Today I’m keeping it pretty quick and simple, we’re making atole de calabaza (Mexican Pumpkin Atole)! We’ve finally started feeling the cold temperatures here in the Central Valley, so it only feels appropriate to start sharing hot drink recipes. If you’ve never had atole before, it’s a traditional hot corn based beverage with pre-Columbian roots, and it comes in all sorts of flavors. Today, it typically consists of milk, sweetener, spices, and masa harina to thicken it. For other atole and maizena recipes, pick up a copy of my new cookbook, Chicano Bakes!
Click here for more Pan Dulce Recipes!
¡Hola! How was your Thanksgiving?
My parents had the opportunity to purchase their first home this year, so it was their first time hosting at their place and we had a great time! I did end up having to do about 95% percent of the cooking, but I didn’t mind, I got to use the time to test a few recipes.
One of the recipes I started testing a few nights before, were these Marranitos. Marranitos (or Puerquitos) are these piloncillo cookies shaped like a pig that I wasn’t really a fan of growing up. The panadería across the street from the house I grew up in always made them dry and cakey, and when my uncles would bring fresh pan dulce from their trips to Tijuana there would often be a marranito buried deep in the bag, and those would always snap from how hard and dry they were. I wanted to change a few things for my interpretation, and I really enjoyed how these came out. They’re soft and cakey, but moist, and well spiced!