They’re so good, they just might become your new go-to recipes. Spanish pastry shops, or pastelerias, are brimming with cookies. But you need not book a flight to enjoy these delightful confections. I’ve rounded up the best cookie recipes for you! From crumbly polvorones to crisp Spanish churros, I have every sweet treat to satisfy your craving. And yes, these cookies are a breeze to make. You don’t need to be an expert baker to get these desserts to the table. Having friends over and want to impress them? These Spanish cookies are the fool-proof way to do just that.
1. Almendrados (Spanish Almond Cookies)
The Spanish love almonds in their desserts and this recipe is full of them. Almendrados are light, soft, and tasty almond cookies. They only require four ingredients – sugar, eggs, lemon, and almonds – but the flavor is top-notch. Apart from the flavor, almendrados also have a lovely chewy, almost macaron-like consistency. The key is egg whites beaten to stiff peaks!
2. Mantecados
Mantecados are Spanish shortbread cookies traditionally served during the holidays. But because they’re so good and easy to make, you can enjoy them any day of the year. Mantecados derives from the Spanish word, “Manteca,” meaning lard or fat. It’s what gives the cookies their iconic crumbly consistency. For this recipe, however, you don’t need to use pork fat. Vegetable shortening will do just fine.
3. Polvorones
Polvorones are perhaps the most iconic Spanish cookie there is. They’re very popular during Christmas, and why wouldn’t they be? They’re sweet, milky, and so crumbly and tender. The term “polvorones” comes from the Spanish “polvo,” meaning powder. The name comes from the cookies’ consistency. Polvorones have a wonderful powdery or sandy texture. They melt in your mouth as you bite into them.
4. Nevaditos (Spanish Powdered Sugar Cookies)
Nevados, or nevaditos, are another traditional Spanish cookie. From the word “nevados,” meaning “snow-capped mountains, these snow-like cookies are covered with powdered sugar. Just like polvorones and mantecados, nevaditos are also popular during Christmas. Their snowy look will definitely get you into the holiday spirit. Made of flour, shortening, sugar, white wine, and salt, these cookies have the perfect balance of flavors. They’re not overwhelmingly sweet, so they’re not too rich. They’re so good, it’s impossible to stop at one.
5. Spanish Peanut Cookies
Spanish peanut cookies have the most amazing combination of sweet and salty. Made with peanuts, coconut flakes, oatmeal, and chocolate chips, they combine every ingredient you love in a cookie! Sweetened with brown sugar, these cookies have such a deep, intense flavor. The oatmeal, peanuts, and coconut balance it out wonderfully well. Plus, how can you go wrong with chocolate?
6. Polvorones de Canele (Cinnamon Cookies)
Polvorones de canele, or cinnamon cookies, are a variety of polvorones with a wonderfully unique flavor. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are already fantastic as they are. But add cinnamon into the mix, and you’ll get an even more delicious treat! It’s like a shortbread and snickerdoodle cookie combined, and it’s glorious.
7. Spanish Churros
Churros are the Spanish version of donuts, and they’re popular for good reason. These crisp and tender treats are perfect not just for an afternoon snack, but for breakfast and dessert as well. Churros are made of sweet batter shaped into sticks and deep-fried to golden perfection. They’re then dusted with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, and are served with hot chocolate or a caramel dipping sauce. I mean… how can anyone ever resist that?
8. Polvorones de Coco
Polvorones de coco are super soft and flavorful shortbread cookies flavored with almonds and toasted coconut. If you’ve never tried chocolate and coconut together, now is the perfect time to do so. The flavor combination is absolutely terrific! Did you know that polvorones don’t require baking? All you need is to toast the flour and stir it with milk, sugar, butter, and other flavorings.
9. Alfajores Recipe (Dulce de Leche Cookies)
Alfajores are made of two melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a caramel or dulce de leche filling. These sandwiches are to die for! They’re not only popular in Spain, but all over Latin America as well. With their outstanding flavor and texture, I completely understand why. Trust me, once you’ve tried these sandwich cookies, you’ll want them in your life forever.
10. Spanish Cacao and Olive Oil Sweet Crackers
Also known as tortas de aceite, these crackers are melt-in-your-mouth treats flavored with chocolate and olive oil. The combination may sound strange, but it sure works. They’re crisp, sweet, and downright delicious. Who would have thought that the combination of olive oil, anise, sesame seeds, and cocoa powder create such a beautiful harmony of flavors?
11. Polvorones De Limon
Polvorones de limon are soft, buttery, and crumbly cookies infused with lemon. The lemon adds a wonderful zesty flavor that adds brightness to the cookies. Interesting fact: polvorones, along with other Spanish cookies, were all once made with pork fat. Back in the days of the Spanish Inquisition, it was the Spaniards’ way of spotting Muslims and Jews, as their religion didn’t allow them to eat pork fat. Those who did not eat polvorones were arrested.
12. Churro Biscotti
Biscotti may be an Italian cookie, but this recipe gives it a Spanish twist. The crisp cookies are baked to perfection and coated with cinnamon sugar. All you’ll need is a sweet dulce de leche for dipping, and your churro biscotti will be complete!
13. Marquesas
Marquesas are cupcake-shaped cookies that are insanely soft, moist, and infused with lemon. They are so flavorful and addictive, one won’t be enough. Best of all, these cookies are made from the most basic ingredients: eggs, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almonds.
14. Borrachuelo
Borrachuelo comes from the Spanish word “borracho,” which means “drunk.” Yup, these cookies are booze-infused! The biscuits are flavored with olive oil, wine, orange, lemon, fennel, and sesame seeds. That already tells you how tasty they are! But it doesn’t end there. They’re also stuffed with a sweet pumpkin or sweet potato mixture and dipped in honey and powdered sugar. It couldn’t get any better than that. Click on a star to rate it!
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