Within the rich and diverse culinary heritage of Mexico, there exists a sweet treat that delights the senses and evokes cherished memories: the "marranitos," also known as "puerquitos" or "cochinito" cookies. These charming pig-shaped cookies, adorned with intricate details and a sweet aroma, have become an iconic representation of Mexican cuisine. Their popularity extends beyond the borders of Mexico, captivating hearts and taste buds worldwide. Whether enjoyed during festive occasions or as a simple indulgence, marranitos embody the essence of Mexican craftsmanship and culinary artistry. This article delves into the world of marranitos, exploring their history, significance, and the delectable flavors that make them a beloved treat.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN MARRANITOS (MOLASSES GINGERBREAD PIGS)
Moist and rich-tasting beneath a glossy, ever-so-slightly flaky top. Not quite cookie, not quite cake. Marranitos -- or cochinos, or puerquitos, as are they are called in some Mexican-American communities -- are often called "Gingerbread Pigs," although they don't actually have ginger in them - and no cinnamon either. In fact, traditional marranitos get their delicious spicy-brown goodness from molasses. Baking soda is the leavening agent, and it's the variation in the amount used that makes some bakeries' pigs fatter than others. In Mexico, bakers take piloncillos -- unrefined brown sugar pressed into small cone shapes -- and boil the sugar with just enough water to make their own molasses syrup, which is then added to the dough for the little pigs. Then the dough is rolled out and cut with pig-shaped cookie cutters about the size of a medium-size grown-up's hand. (4.5") *This recipe is from Fort Worth baker Marco Rangel, and is used for the molasses pigs he sells at his bakery, the Panaderia San Marcos. It uses the non-traditional addition of cinnamon. You may wish to try also adding a bit of dry ground ginger. And you may use a milk wash instead of an egg wash.
Provided by GeeWhiz
Categories Dessert
Time 30m
Yield 15 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 361, Fat 4.7, SaturatedFat 1.4, Cholesterol 25.4, Sodium 151.8, Carbohydrate 73.4, Fiber 1.5, Sugar 30.5, Protein 6.2
MARRANITOS (MEXICAN PIG-SHAPED COOKIES)
Marranitos (or cochinos, or puerquitos, as are they are called in some Mexican-American communities) are often called 'Gingerbread Pigs,' although they don't actually have ginger in them - and no cinnamon either. In fact, traditional marranitos get their delicious spicy-brown goodness from molasses. This recipe is a trans-pecos region variation, it uses the non-traditional addition of cinnamon. You may wish to try also adding a bit of dry ground ginger, and you may use a milk wash instead of an egg wash.
Provided by Mayson
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Mexican
Time 35m
Yield 15
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 358.7 calories, Carbohydrate 73 g, Cholesterol 25.1 mg, Fat 4.7 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 6.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 151.1 mg, Sugar 30.4 g
MARRANITOS (MEXICAN GINGERBREAD PIGS)
Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!
Provided by Isabel Eats
Categories Dessert
Time 37m
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 marranito, Calories 152 kcal, Carbohydrate 30 g, Protein 3 g, Fat 2 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Cholesterol 18 mg, Sodium 83 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 13 g, UnsaturatedFat 1 g
MARRANITOS & PUERQUITOS (SOFT MEXICAN GINGERBREAD PIG COOKIES)
Makes 16 Large Cookies This is the cookie cutter I used.
Provided by Esteban Castillo
Categories Dessert
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for about a minute. Reduce the speed to low then slowly pour in the molasses and buttermilk. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure that ones mixed in before adding the next. After the eggs have been mixed in, add one third of the dry ingredients, wait for it to incorporate, then add the next third, wait and then add the rest.
- At this point, the cookie dough is going to be soft, so divide your dough into 4 equal sized balls, then wrap them up with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for 4 hours to chill.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Once the dough has chilled, roll your dough out on a well floured surface to abut a 1/2 inch thickness. Use your cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, then evenly space them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (You should be able to get 4 cookies per ball of dough) I like to dip my cookie cutter in a little bit of flour to make sure I get clean edges.
- Once you have your cookies on your cookie sheet, brush on the egg wash, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have risen and the tops have begun to crack.
- Let your cookies cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.
MARRANITOS (LITTLE GINGER PIGS)
These pig shapped cookies are very popular in all the Mexican bakeries here around Texas. They taste similar to gingerbread, but with a more dense texture. They are one of my favorite breakfast treats with a cup of coffee or a tall glass of milk. This recipe was printed in the Houston Chronicle and comes from a cookbook written by Melissa Guerra, called "Dishes From the Wild Horse Desert".
Provided by Kim D.
Categories Breakfast
Time 45m
Yield 30 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 103.9, Fat 4.1, SaturatedFat 1.2, Cholesterol 7, Sodium 104.7, Carbohydrate 14.6, Fiber 0.5, Sugar 1.7, Protein 1.9
MARRANITOS (MEXICAN PIG-SHAPED COOKIES)
Marranitos (or cochinos, or puerquitos, as are they are called in some Mexican-American communities) are often called 'Gingerbread Pigs,' although they don't actually have ginger in them - and no cinnamon either. In fact, traditional marranitos get their delicious spicy-brown goodness from molasses. This recipe is a trans-pecos region variation, it uses the non-traditional addition of cinnamon. You may wish to try also adding a bit of dry ground ginger, and you may use a milk wash instead of an egg wash.
Provided by Mayson
Categories Mexican Recipes
Time 35m
Yield 15
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 358.7 calories, Carbohydrate 73 g, Cholesterol 25.1 mg, Fat 4.7 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 6.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.2 g, Sodium 151.1 mg, Sugar 30.4 g
Tips:
- To make the marranitos, you will need a pig-shaped cookie cutter and a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
- To make the dough, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the anise extract and vanilla extract.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (0.6 cm). Cut out the pig shapes using the cookie cutter.
- Place the pig cookies on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To decorate the marranitos, use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip to pipe royal icing onto the cookies. You can also add sprinkles, nonpareils, or other decorations.
Conclusion:
Marranitos are a fun and festive cookie that is perfect for any occasion. They are easy to make and can be decorated in a variety of ways. These cookies are sure to be a hit with your family and friends!
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