Marranitos Mexican Gingerbread Pigs Recipes

MARRANITOS (MEXICAN GINGERBREAD PIGS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add the dark brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add in one egg, molasses, milk and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
• In a separate large bowl, add the flour, ground ginger, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix together to combine.
• Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix until well combined. The dough should cleanly pull away from the mixing bowl.
• Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 3/8 inch thickness (or a little less than 1/2 inch). Use a pig shaped cookie cutter like this one to cut into pigs. Place pigs 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the tops of the cookies.
• In a small bowl, crack open the remaining egg and whisk. Brush the beaten egg over the tops of the pigs using a pastry brush.
• Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.

MARRANITOS (MEXICAN PIG-SHAPED COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar and shortening until smooth. Mix in 1 egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the baking soda, cinnamon, and molasses. Mix in flour until the dough is stiff enough to roll out.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into cookies using a pig shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the tops of the cookies.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the centers of the cookies appear dry and edges are lightly browned.

MARRANITOS (LITTLE GINGER PIGS)

Steps:

• Place the piloncillo in a small saucepan with 1 cup water, star anise, and cinnamon.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool completely, stirring the mixture as it cools so that the sugar dissolves.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Whisk together cloves, ginger, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
• Mix in the shortening (or lard) and strain the piloncillo syrup in until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
• Divide the dough in half.
• Working with half the mixture at a time, roll out to 1/3-inch thickness and cut out with a pig-shaped cookie cutter.
• Place the cookies to an ungreased baking sheet.
• Brush with the egg wash.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
• Cool on wire racks.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN MARRANITOS (MOLASSES GINGERBREAD PIGS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, shortening, baking soda, cinnamon and vanilla until the mixture forms a firm paste.
• Add, mixing after each addition until blended, the molasses, egg and milk.
• Gradually add the flour, mixing to form a dough; Roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick; cut with a large pig-shaped cutter; Place each marranito on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
• In a cup or small bowl, beat egg; Using a pastry brush, paint tops of marranitos lightly with beaten egg.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until browned.