Mantecados are a Spanish Christmas cookie made with pork fat. I learned that pork fat is just a delicious substitute for butter or oil in a regular cookie recipe and it makes sugar and flour so much more delightful.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 cup crushed almonds
- 1 cup rendered pork fat (or store-bought lard)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- Sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°.
On the stove, toast the flour in a medium skillet slowly over low heat, moving frequently with a wooden spoon. Pay close attention to the color and when it starts to become a VERY light brown, add in the crushed almonds and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the pork fat until it becomes slightly foamy. Add in the sugar and cinnamon. Beat the mixture for about 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Slowly add in the flour and almonds mixture until incorporated evenly. The dough should be moldable, but not too crumbly.
Dump out the dough onto a clean surface and pat or roll out until it is about ¾ inch thick. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the cookies until no more dough remains. You can re-roll the dough until all is used. Transfer to a baking sheet, top with sesame seeds (press into the dough a bit), and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn golden and crisp on the bottom. Allow to cool before eating.
