Recipe courtesy of
Jacqueline Tris
for
Food Network Kitchen
Recipe courtesy of
Jacqueline Tris
for
Food Network Kitchen
Watch how to make this recipe.
Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)
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- Level: Easy
- Total: 3 hr 30 min (includes chilling and cooling times)
- Active: 40 min
- Yield: 12 cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 385
- Total Fat
- 9 g
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 70 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 37 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 42 mg
- Sodium
- 187 mg
Marranitos, also known as puerquitos, cochinitos or gingerbread piggies, are pan dulce with a distinctive pig shape (hence the name) and a texture somewhere between a cookie and a bread or cake, with crispy edges and a slightly soft and chewy center. Found in panaderias all over Mexico, these popular large cookies get their deep molasses-like flavor and color from piloncillo. They are traditionally mild in flavor — not overly sweet — and lightly spiced; my recipe includes a cinnamon stick-infused piloncillo syrup for the dough.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 3 hr 30 min (includes chilling and cooling times)
- Active: 40 min
- Yield: 12 cookies
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 12 servings
- Calories
- 385
- Total Fat
- 9 g
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 70 g
- Dietary Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 37 g
- Protein
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 42 mg
- Sodium
- 187 mg
Ingredients
Directions
Special equipment:
a 5-inch pig-shaped cookie cutter- Heat the piloncillo in a small pot over medium heat. Break up the cinnamon stick with your hands to release its aroma and add it to the pot with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring often so the mixture does not burn or bubble over, until the piloncillo is completely dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Strain the syrup to remove the cinnamon sticks. Set aside to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low until combined, about 10 seconds. Add the butter, shortening, vanilla, 1 of the eggs and the piloncillo syrup. Mix starting on low, then increase the speed to medium once the mixture turns into a shaggy dough; continue to mix until the dough comes together and is smooth, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the milk and continue to mix until the dough is soft, 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough until it's no longer sticky, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 rounds and wrap them in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Dip a 5-inch pig cutter in flour to ensure sharp edges and cut out cookies from the dough. Place them on the prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Chill the cookies in the refrigerator to ensure they do not spread too much during baking, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush it over the cookies. Bake until the cookies are slightly golden and cracks begin to appear on the surface, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container.
Cook’s Note
When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.) Some people like to add cloves, allspice, nutmeg or ground ginger to the dough; feel free to add your own mix of spices. We use a 5-inch cutter for these cookies, but a smaller one will work just as well; simply adjust the baking time down slightly.
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