My Weblog: Happy, merry

by Kris Neri, with the Femmes Fatales

December is such a special month. It’s when we come together with loved ones and reconnect with our warmest, special traditions. For those on a spiritual path, we find peace and hope through our forms of worship.

I wish all of you the happiest and healthiest of holidays.

My gift to you this year is a traditional recipe for bizcochitos or biscochitos, as some spell it. Bizcochitos became the official cookie of New Mexico in 1989, making it the first official cookie in the US. Most states still don’t have an official cookie, though many have made other foods official.

According to legend, this pastry came from Spain with the colonists who settled in the Santa Fe area. They have been a New Mexican tradition ever since, especially at Christmas, though they’re also made for weddings and other festive occasions.

This is a classic recipe, and the one I use, though if you’d like to see some variation, you can only find a million or so online:

Ingredients:

6 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound lard (found in boxes in the hard shortening aisle)

2 cups sugar

2 Tbsp anise seed, crushed with the side of a knife (can substitute powered or liquid anise, but the anise flavor won't be as rich)

2 extra large eggs

1/4 cup brandy

1/4 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp cinnamon (for dusting after baking)

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream lard with sugar and anise seed on medium speed until light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, beat eggs well. Add eggs and brandy to creamed sugar/lard mixture and mix.

Slowly add flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix gently until a stiff dough has formed (should look similar to piecrust dough). Don’t overwork! Remove dough, wrap, and refrigerate for at least a few hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Let dough stand 20-30 minutes or until soft enough to roll out.

Roll out dough to around 1/4 inch thick, or thicker if you prefer. Cookies should be plump. Cut with cookie cutter and place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake 10-12 minutes or until bottom turns a golden brown.

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. When cookies come out of the oven, cool for a couple of minutes, then drop into cinnamon/sugar mixture facedown. Place on a rack for further cooling.

Some people object to using lard, on health grounds. You can substitute butter or vegetable shortening, or a combination of both. But they aren’t exactly health foods, either. Besides, aren’t the holidays a time to indulge? Lard works much better than any substitute. It will yield a light, crisp shortbread.

Others like to make theirs with orange juice or orange zest, either instead of or in addition to brandy. Can’t say that does it for me, but I’ve never favored orange pastries. Some prefer the addition of lemon zest, instead of orange. Still not something I’d care for.

You can substitute other liquids for the brandy, such as other kinds of whiskies, or apple juice. Some bakers add a bit of vanilla, in addition to the above ingredients. I’ve never tried it, but I do have a fondness for vanilla. I’ll probably try that sometime.

Another variation is to use more sugar and less cinnamon or the final dipping, or even more cinnamon. As for me, I can never get too much cinnamon, so I tend to have a heavy hand with it.