HOW TO MAKE MARRANITOS: Easy Recipe for Mexican Gingerbread Pig-shaped Cookies/Pan Dulce

brown sugar

🥗Healthier: coconut sugar

💰Cheaper: white sugar

Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index.

butter

🥗Healthier: coconut oil

💰Cheaper: margarine

Coconut oil is dairy-free and adds a unique flavor.

molasses

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: maple syrup

Honey provides a similar sweetness with different flavor notes.

powdered sugar

🥗Healthier: stevia

💰Cheaper: granulated sugar

Stevia is a low-calorie sweetener.

In a large bowl, add 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup softened butter and cream them together.

Grind the crushed anise seed using a rolling pin and add it to the sugar and butter mixture.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon to the mixture and continue to cream until it forms a paste.

Add 1 cup unsulfured molasses to the mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla extract and 1 egg to the mixture and mix well.

Add 1/4 cup whole milk and mix until well combined.

Gradually add 6 cups of all-purpose flour to the wet mixture, mixing as you go until it becomes too hard to mix with a spoon.

Switch to kneading the dough with your hands until you have a somewhat sticky heavy dough.

Form the dough into a flattened square, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

After chilling, lightly flour your surface and rolling pin, and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Use a pig-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Knead and roll out any leftover dough until all of it has been used up.

Crack open the remaining egg, whisk it, and brush it liberally over each cookie as an egg wash.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 12 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens