This delicioso shortbread cookie has a history of being served during the holidays or celebrations like weddings and quinceñeras, also commonly known as the “Mexican Wedding Cookie”. Growing up, my Mom would always buy 6 dozen or so of these from a local Panadería for Christmas parties. They are always a hit, lightly sweet and delightfully crumbly, you never have any leftovers when the party is over. For many years I’d heard that this dessert was labor intensive and difficult to achieve the perfect texture and flavor like the Panaderías do. So naturally I was discouraged from making them, thinking I would be disappointed in the outcome. After searching for the perfect recipe, I found one that I felt would yield positive results and I was right! The recipe is easy to follow, and the end result is exactly how I remember having them from the traditional Panaderías. Needless to say, I’m proud of this and will continue to make them year after year. Tip: because the dough is so crumbly, it’s recommended to use a small cookie cutter, if you use a larger cut out, the cookies may fall apart. My clever boyfriend suggested using the 1.5 Oz side of a jigger, and it was the perfect small circle cut out I needed!
Ingredients for dough
- 5 cups of flour
- 1 3/4 cup of vegetable shortening (I use Crisco) -room temperature
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks of cinnamon grounded in a coffee grinder OR 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- 6 Tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (stick or ground)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl place all ingredients and using hands, mix dough all together, up to several minutes, the heat from your hands is what makes the dough pliable for it to come together.
- Once dough comes together, place on counter (NOT the refrigerator) for an hour.
- Pre heat oven to 375 while you roll out the dough.
- Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. Roll out the dough thicker than you normally would for sugar cookies.
- Cut out shapes with small cookie cutters
- Place close together on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Allow to cool slightly on the cookie sheet before prying them loose with a spatula or fork. (Do NOT use your fingers or cookies will crumble apart!)
- In a medium bowl, mix sugar and ground cinnamon and dredge the slightly cooled cookies in the sugar mixture and then using a fork, place immediately on a cookie rack. (You must dredge cookies in the sugar mixture while still hot or sugar will not adhere well to the cookies)
- These cookies have a long shelf life. Place in a covered cookie tin when finished. Enjoy!
The Texas Table 