Hojarascas (Mexican Cinnamon Sugar Cookies)

Hojarascas (pronounced “oha-rascas” – the H is silent), when done right, are light, flakey and absolutely, deliciously addictive cinnamon sugar coated shortbread cookies.

As a child, I recall tasting hojarascas that were purchased from the local Mexican bakery. I found them to be heavy and dry and didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.

Not until many years later, a friend and coworker brought a tin of hojarascas (that her grandmother had  made) into our office. The cookies were deliciously light, flakey and addicting. So, I thought I would look for a recipe and give them a try.

After hours of hard work, sadly my cookies were terrible! They were heavy, dry and certainly, nothing like the tasty treats my friend’s grandmother had made.

One restless night, as I was flipping through the TV channels, I came across a Mexican cooking show. Note this was back in the early 80’s prior to the well-produced food TV shows we’ve become accustomed to seeing. A young man was with his grandmother demonstrating how she made Hojarascas.

Fortunately, I am fluent in Spanish and was able to follow the broadcast. Her recipe was very similar to the one I had BUT the big difference was the method she used to make the dough. The very next day I made a batch of these cookies using my same recipe with the technique I had learned. SUCCESS! This recipe has become a part of my holiday tradition.

-MBK

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4.22 from 14 votes

Hojarascas

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 12 dozen

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

For cookies:

• 2 whole eggs
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• 1 lb. pork lard or shortening
• 6 cups all-purpose flour

For topping:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon or more to taste

Instructions

• In a blender, add cinnamon sticks and sugar.
  
• Blend well until cinnamon sticks have been broken down.
  
• Strain the mixture into a small bowl, removing any larger pieces of cinnamon sticks.
  
• In a large bowl, add eggs, baking powder and lard. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until well combined. Add cinnamon/sugar mixture and continue beating until evenly mixed. Gradually, stir in flour one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
  
• Once the mixture becomes difficult to stir in the flour, pour out the contents of the bowl onto a floured surface and continue to work in the remaining flour by hand until well incorporated. Knead the dough until smooth and pliable. You can use a standing mixer fitted with a paddle to make the job easier. This process should take around 15-20 minutes. When the dough does not break when spread on the surface, it is ready.
  
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts, wrapping each one in a piece of plastic wrap until ready to use. Let rest in fridge for 15 minutes.
• On a heavily floured surface, roll the dough out to roughly 1/4" to 1/2" thick, as you would for basic sugar cookies, and cut out using your favorite shapes (ours is a 1.5in fluted circle). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes (cooking time will need to be adjusted based on size and thickness).
  
• Cookies are ready when the bottoms are slightly golden and they are semi-firm to the touch.
  
• Combine 2 C. sugar with 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon. As cookies come out of the oven, gently toss in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Set aside to cool. These cookies keep well when stored in an airtight container. Enjoy!
  

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