Mantecados Recipe
with
Natasha Levitan
These Spanish Christmas cookies are small, light, and downright delicious. Enjoy mantecados during the holidays, or whenever you have a craving for something sweet.
Transcript: Mantecados Recipe
Hi, I'm Natasha Levitan for About.com Food. Today I'm going to show you how to make mantecados, which are Spanish Christmas cookies.Ingredients Needed to Make Mantecados
For this recipe, you will need:- 1 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon anise extract
- 1 lemon
- citrus peeler
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 1/2 cups flour
Prepare the Eggs and Lemon Zest
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. You will use yolks for the dough and the whites to brush the cookies to give them a golden color. Whisk the egg whites to break them apart.Peel the lemon zest with a citrus peeler. But if you don't have one, you can use vegetable peeler and get the yellow part of the lemon.
Make the Mantecado Dough
In a very large mixing bowl, whip the vegetable shortening with a mixer. Then add in oil, and when it incorporates into the shortening, add sugar, then egg yolks, anise, lemon peel, juice, and cinnamon. Mix together.Add flour and baking soda to mixture and be sure to mix well. At the end of your mixing, the dough will become a texture of wet crumbs.
Bake and Serve the Mantecados
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Take enough dough to form walnut-sized balls, and roll them between your hands. Place the cookie onto a cookie sheet sprayed with oil.Lightly press down on each ball to flatten slightly. Brush the egg white on top of each cookie. Place the cookies in the oven and bake until they turn light brown. Let the cookies cool 2-3 minutes and serve.
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