Mexican Holiday Biscochitos

Light and deliciously buttery, Mexican Holiday Biscochitos combine the complex flavour of crushed anise seeds with that of warming ground cinnamon. With a hint of vanilla and citrus, these cookies pack a delightfully scrumptious bite!

Mexican Holiday Biscochitos are much like a classic shortbread cookie, but they have a flavour that is all their own. The combination of crushed anise seeds with ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and fresh orange zest creates a flavour profile that is simply out of this world! No fancy cookie-making gadgets are needed here – and no decorating skills either for that matter!

These cookies are so good that in 1989, New Mexico stated that biscochitos were the state’s official cookie! That’s some serious cookie love, Dear Reader! The name biscochito comes from the Spanish word bizcocho, which means cake. So, when translated to English, it means little cake. Also, depending on which part of New Mexico you’re in, the name is written out with different spellings, such as biscochitos, bizcochitos, or biscochos.

I’m going to tell you all about this cookie recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the cookie recipes! Before I get into today’s recipe, let me make mention of the three previous holiday confection countdowns that I just finished up this year.

Back in October, I kicked off the holiday season with a holiday recipe series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Trifle Series and followed that up with a second series called Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Breads and Loaves. Next was my 12 Squares and Bars Series, which was Volume 2 of that particular series.  

And now, I’m starting on this new series, which is the seventh annual instalment! I cannot believe that this is the seventh year in a row that I’ve shared Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas! But, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for today’s recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 24 COOKIES OF CHRISTMAS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! This one is called Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 7! I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy, just like in previous years. Even if a recipe looks complex, I promise you that it is not! My goal, as always, is to share recipes with you that are not too complex to whip up as a holiday treat for your family.

Like every other holiday series I’ve shared over the years, this series will share a new recipe every day for the next 24 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series! Even though this is the fourth series for this holiday season, you can always look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder 
• Salt
• Anise Seeds – These seeds are licorice flavoured and can be easily found in most baking supply stores.
• Orange Zest
• Vegetable Shortening – More commonly known as Crisco, vegetable shortening helps to keep baked goods lighter and flakier. If you don’t have any, you can substitute it with half butter and half margarine. You MUST make sure your butter and margarine are both at room temperature, otherwise, it will not work. Combine both ingredients with a spatula until well-mixed.
• Sugar
• Egg – One large egg is all you need. Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract
• Cinnamon

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN HOLIDAY BISCOCHITOS

Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, anise, and orange zest into a bowl and whisk to combine. In a mixing bowl, beat together the vegetable shortening and sugar. Beat for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Add the flour mixture in thirds, beating to combine after each addition. The dough should be a little moist. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine the topping by combining the sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Roll slightly heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough into balls and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving two inches of space between each ball. Use a fork to flatten the balls to half their height. If the dough is sticky, dip the tines of the fork into powdered sugar to prevent sticking.

Bake the cookies for 13 minutes or until the outer edges are just lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle the top of each cookie with some of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

LET’S TALK ABOUT ANISE

First of all, let’s start by stating that Anise Seeds (sometimes written as aniseed) is not the same as Star Anise. Anise Seeds or Aniseed, is a spice that is related to dill, fennel and caraway. It’s what you will find used in liquors such as Sambuca or Ouzo. In some instances, the seeds are left whole, but in most cases, the seeds are ground before being incorporated into recipes.

In contrast, Star Anise is the star-shaped fruit of a tree that is a member of the magnolia family. It has a similar licorice flavour as Anise Seeds, but the flavour is stronger and more potent. It is most often used in Asian cooking. For example, it is one of the main ingredients in the popular Chinese five-spice blend.

If you’re not experienced with the flavours of anise, let me try my best to describe this unique flavour to you.  I mentioned that it had a licorice flavour, and it does.  It tastes like black licorice.  If you like that taste, or if you like the taste of fennel, you’ll love anise. Fennel seeds are used quite often in sausage recipes, so you’ll probably already be familiar with the flavour.  Since there are many candies that have adopted the anise flavour, you’ve probably tried it many times over.

You can buy star anise in its whole form.  It’s hard and comes in the shape of an eight-pointed star.  They’re actually quite pretty!  You can ground the seeds and use them in your recipes. The most common of the two, anise seeds, are usually already ground and found in most large grocery stores and baking supply stores.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for a long time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Mexican Holiday Biscochitos, you certainly can! Pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer-friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!