Dottie’s Vegan Biscochitos
I have made it pretty obvious that I’m from New Mexico, but nothing is greater evidence that sharing a biscochito recipe. If you came here, just to find out what the heck these things are, they are THE New Mexican Christmas cookie. They are commonly made with lard (not today), and lend a drier, shortbread consistency. Their flavor is anise seed. Even if you aren’t crazy about anise, don’t run away yet!! The anise is quite subtle in this recipe yet, it is the star in these cookies. Please don’t unfollow me after that pun. Abuelas and Hispanic mothers of NM get together to roll out big batches of these babies in order to recycle those cookie tins that they’ve been holding onto since last year. It might also be clear that I am not an abuela, nor a Hispanic mother. So, I had to go straight to the source to present you with this recipe. Enter: Dottie Tenorio. She is something of a renaissance woman, an amazing baker, and the warmest person you’ll ever meet. Dottie is also very proud of her New Mexican heritage and always up for the challenge to make a traditional, NM staple into a vegan’s delight. I don’t know any other abuelas who are up for this obstacle, mostly because they are still trying to understand why anyone would choose to be vegan at all. Thankfully, she was willing to share this family recipe with her (one day) daughter-in-law, and with all of you! If you do attempt this recipe, please give her a huge thank you in the comments section below.Notes from Dottie: • My maternal grandmother, Grandma Simona (Simi) kept a large bottle of whiskey under her bed for her “rheumatism” to rub on her joints, but she took a nip now & then to give the topical application a boost! So, she always had some “liquid on hand”. • I noticed the vegan version does not brown as much as the traditional, lard based Biscochito.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 Cups Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp salt I used pink Himalayan
- 1 Cup Vegetable Shortening room temp/softened
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg Replacement (I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer- 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp water, well mixed before adding)
- 1 tsp anise seed (Anise extract will work here too! Use a teaspoon of both if you love anise)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons wine wine is traditional but feel free to use almond milk, juice, tequila or whatever liquid you have on hand
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
Sugar Bath
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or by hand, cream shortening & sugar until a paste forms. Add egg replacement & beat until fluffy.
- Stir in wine, almond milk (or other liquid), vanilla extract, and anise seeds.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add to creamed mixture.
- Mix together using a wooden or silicon spoon, until a dough forms. If it looks dry, add a tablespoon of almond milk (or whatever liquid you used), to bring together into a dough. If it looks wet, don't worry. Just flour your surface really well when you roll it out.
- Roll your dough out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. For a crispier cookie, roll dough a bit thinner. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
- After dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 360 degrees.
- Time to cut your cookies! The traditional shape is to cut into 2” square with slits on each corner & pinch the 4 edges- like a 4-leaf clover🍀. (See picture) It is perfectly fine to use whatever cookie cutters you have on hand, or just the top of a jar for circles. Don’t forget to flour your cutters for easy removal.
- Place back into the fridge after cutting, until ready to bake. Cold dough holds cookie shapes best.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. While they are baking, make your sugar bath. Combine both ingredients (cinnamon, sugar) in a container large enough to toss the cookies in.
- Remove hot cookie directly to sugar/cinnamon bath and gently cover with mixture. Once cooled, remove to plate/dish. Enjoy!