Cuernitos Recipes

CUERNITOS (MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325
• In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, butter, and extracts until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, salt, and almonds or pecans (if desired). Mix until dough forms. Shape into 1 inch balls, or crescents. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes. Watch closely until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet, cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar. Let cool completely and roll again.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE AND CAJETA CUERNITOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a pastry brush or spoon to spread half of the melted butter on the dough.
• Sprinkle the Mexican chocolate and chopped walnut over the buttered dough. Spread half the cajeta over the chocolate. Pull apart each dough triangle and roll the triangles up in the form of a horn, or cuernito, starting with the widest end down to the tip.
• Arrange each stuffed cuernito on a baking sheet. Spread remaining butter over the top.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the dough is golden-brown. Remove from the oven and top with a dollop of remaining cajeta. Enjoy!

CUERNITOS DE MERMELADA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 deg F.
• Chop pecans finely with a heavy knife. A chopper can be used, but take care that the nuts don't process so much that they become nut butter. Place chopped pecans in a bowl and set aside.
• Sift flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Cut chilled butter into chunks. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it looks like coarse, crumbly sand. Using a fork or a wooden spoon, gently mix in the egg yolks. Work in the ice water, a little bit at a time, only adding enough water for the mixture to come together in a dough. Be careful not to overmix the dough or add too much water, or the dough will become greasy. Wrap dough ball in plastic wrap or wax paper, then refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 36 equal balls the size of small walnuts (or you can divide the dough using a kitchen scale, if you prefer). Roll out dough balls into 2 1/2 to 3 inch circles on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. Place a slightly rounded 1/2 teaspoon of preserves in the center of each circle. Fold outer thirds of circle in over the jam in center, ensuring that the jam is fully covered, then roll into a little cigar shape. Bend the cigar into a crescent shape, then pinch edges to seal the preserves inches
• Once all the crescents are formed, beat egg whites by hand in a small bowl until frothy. Dip each crescent into the beaten egg whites, allow excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Roll dipped crescents lightly in the chopped pecans. Place coated crescents on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, or until golden.
• Allow bake cookies to cool slightly, then roll in the sifted powdered sugar.

DEDITOS DE NUEZ (NUTFINGERS), NUTTY FINGERS, LADY FINGERS.

Steps:

• Mix the margarine bars. It's important to use softened margarine otherwise the dough will be too sticky.
• Slowly add the flour, mix until it's almost well combined, let a bit of flour aside to roll the dough later and to add to the cookies sheet if it's needed.
• Add the sugar and mix until well combined.
• Add the pecans and mix well. Roll the dough if needed, it shouldn't be sticky at this point.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC-220ºC.
• Start making the fingers, size depends on preference.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes.
• Let them cool down a bit and roll in the sugar and cinnamon mix while the cookies are still warm.
• Enjoy!