Biscochito Biscotti Recipes

BISCOCHITOS TRADITIONAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together the lard and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Mix in the anise seed, and beat until fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the sifted ingredients and brandy, and stir until well blended.
• On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/2 or 1/4 inch thickness, and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. The traditional is fleur-de-lis. Place cookies onto baking sheets. Mix together the 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the tops of the cookies.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bottoms are lightly browned.

BISCOCHITO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
• 3. In a separate bowl, cream lard with sugar and freshly ground anise seeds and whip until fluffy.
• 4. Beat in eggs one at a time.
• 5. Mix in flour mixture and white wine until well blended.
• 6. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. (Cover with plastic wrap so the dough doesn't dry out.)
• 7. Divide dough into 4 balls and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (You can use the same parchment paper throughout the baking process.
• 8. Shape each ball into a log about 7 inches long. Place logs on parchment paper lined pans and pat dough into a rectangleish shape, about ¾ inch thick and 2 ½ inches wide.
• 9. Mix the 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tbsp of cinnamon in a small bowl.
• 10. Bake logs about 30 minutes, until edges are somewhat brown. Let logs cool about a half hour before slicing them into inch-thick slices. Place slices back on paper lined pan.
• 11. Bake slices for 17 minutes, remove from oven, flip and bake 17 more minutes.
• 12. Cool slices on cookie rack while preparing the glaze.
• 13. Whip the glaze ingredients together and spread on the biscotti with a butter knife. Biscotti will be very crumbly, handle with care.

CLASSIC BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, anise seeds, salt, and nuts. Transfer to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs; beat until a stiff dough comes together, about 3 minutes.
• Divide dough in half. Form each half into a 12-inch log. (Dough may be sticky; dampen your hands for easier handling.) Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten so each log is 13 inches long, 2 1/4 inches wide, and 3/4 inch thick.
• Brush logs with beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until firm and very pale golden, about 35 minutes. Let cool on pans on a wire rack, 40 minutes. Meanwhile, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Using a serrated knife with a sawing motion, cut logs into slices slightly thicker than 1/4 inch. Arrange, cut-side up, on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until dry to touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely on pans on racks, 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.

BISCOCHITOS - NEW MEXICO'S STATE COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Sift flour with baking powder and salt.
• In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream lard with sugar and anise seeds until fluffy.
• Beat in egg until incorporated.
• On low speed, add milk and flour mixture to lard mixture until incorporated.
• Turn dough out on lightly floured board, knead gently to form a ball, then press to 1/4 inch thickness.
• Cut into shapes OR roll into balls (~1 inch in size).*.
• Toss shapes in cinnamon and sugar topping.**.
• On greased baking sheets, bake for 13 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Yield: about 50 small cookies.
• *If you roll them into balls, be sure to press them down slightly with a fork after positioning them onto baking sheets.
• **The easiest way to do this is to put several balls/shapes and the cinnamon and sugar into a small tupperware container. Put the lid on and shake gently.

LEMON BIZCOCHITOS

Steps:

• Sift flour and baking powder into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, lemon juice, aniseed and peel; beat to blend. Stir in dry ingredients. Gathering dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Mix in cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over. Transfer cookies to sheets. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer to racks; cool. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight.)