Polvorones are the Christmas cookies of Spain.
They are called this because of their texture that resembles talcum powder (in Spanish polvoron means powder)
These are flour and butter cookies (or originally pork fat) and almonds, mostly produced in the Andalusia region, but under the name mantecados they are also made in other areas of the Iberian Peninsula.
Not all mantecados are polvorones.
The name mantecado comes from manteca (butter or lard), usually the fat of Iberian pork (cerdo iberico), with which they are made, while the name polvorón comes from the fact that these sweets easily crumble into a kind of powder in the hand or mouth.
The cookies are synonymous with Christmas and you will find other recipes within the blog and in the top list dedicated to the Christmas Menu.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 15 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 2.6 oz almonds
- 2 cups flour
- 5.6 oz butter
- 2.6 oz powdered sugar (+ for decorating)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp Anise Liqueur (Optional)
- to taste salt
Steps
Grind the almonds into a kind of flour, then combine with the flour and toast in the oven at 266°F for about 30 minutes.
Mix the ingredients sugar, cinnamon, butter, anise liqueur (optional), and a pinch of salt. If necessary, add some water then form into a dough and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Shape the cookies with the help of a cookie cutter and bake in a preheated oven at 320°F for 20 minutes.
Once removed from the oven, let them cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar
Polvorones are also very popular in other nations, for example in the Philippines (sometimes called “polboron” or “pulburon”) a large amount of milk powder is used, in addition to toasted flour, sugar, and butter or margarine instead of lard.
In the United States sometimes called Pan de Polvo, the dessert made with anise typical of South Texas.
Polvorones and anise liqueur.
Polvorones and anise liqueur.
