The Kidlet was keen on making cookies today, so we flipped through the most recent issue of Cook's Country to see what goodies they had recipes for. The first two (chocolate brownie cookies and turtle bars) were a no-go due to the chocolate. But these biscochitos got the green light. We even still had some lard left over from our forays into sopaipilla-making, so it worked out quite well overall.

I appreciate how quick and easy these cookies were to throw together. It's a very simple dough to mix up, but the presence of the anise makes them a bit more special than a plain sugar cookie. It was a bit difficult to get the cinnamon sugar to stick to the outside after they came out of the oven, but a some gentle pressure seemed to do the trick in the end. I enjoy the very subtle savoury quality they get from the lard, but if you're wary of cookies that tread that line, feel free to use butter or shortening instead.

Biscochitos

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2020

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. anise seeds, crushed
• 2/3 c. lard
• 3/4 c. sugar, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Cream the lard with the crushed anise and 1/2 c. of the sugar.
3. Beat on medium-high for ~3 minutes.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla.
5. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in dry ingredients.
6. Divide dough into two equal portions and roll each one into a 15cm (6") log.
7. Wrap tightly and chill until firm (~3 hours in the fridge, less in the freezer).
8. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. Slice logs into 5-6mm (~1/4") discs. (You should get ~4 dozen cookies total.)
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 13-15 minutes. (You will most likely need to do this in two batches.)
11. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes.
12. Combine remaining 1/4 c. sugar with cinnamon.
13. Toss the cookies, one or two at a time, with the cinnamon sugar. You may need to apply a bit of gentle pressure to get the sugar to stick.

---

Variations

Vegetarian Biscochitos

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. anise seeds, crushed
• 2/3 c. butter
• 3/4 c. sugar, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon