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Pan Dulce

How to make the best Marranitos & Puerquitos (Soft Mexican Gingerbread Pig Shaped Cookies)

MARRANITOS & PUERQUITOS (SOFT MEXICAN GINGERBREAD PIG SHAPED COOKIES)
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¡Hola! How was your Thanksgiving?

My parents had the opportunity to purchase their first home this year, so it was their first time hosting at their place and we had a great time! I did end up having to do about 95% percent of the cooking, but I didn’t mind, I got to use the time to test a few recipes.

One of the recipes I started testing a few nights before, were these Marranitos. Marranitos (or Puerquitos) are these piloncillo cookies shaped like a pig that I wasn’t really a fan of growing up. The panadería across the street from the house I grew up in always made them dry and cakey, and when my uncles would bring fresh pan dulce from their trips to Tijuana there would often be a marranito buried deep in the bag, and those would always snap from how hard and dry they were. I wanted to change a few things for my interpretation, and I really enjoyed how these came out. They’re soft and cakey, but moist, and well spiced!

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Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread)

Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread)

I have conchas to share with you today!

These babies were a labor of love. I started developing the recipe for back in August, and because they need a good amount of attention, I only got to test them a few times. There are  a few things I learned, and I’m happy to share the knowledge so you can easily make these at home.

One of the more important things I realized, especially after making pan de muerto last year,  is that you need to take your time with bread, don’t take any shortcuts and don’t rush your process. Give the yeast plenty of time to proof, and give your dough enough time to really rise.

Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread)

The quality of your ingredients also makes a difference. Fresh ground spices will give you a more flavorful bread. I like to use the milling blade from my nutribullet to grind down cinnamon, and cloves, and then I just use a microplane to grate fresh nutmeg. If you happen to have any vanilla bean paste, vanilla beans, or high quality vanilla extract, use it instead of imitation vanilla extract. Be sure to keep imitation vanilla out of the streusel though or you’ll end up with a something that tastes like play-doh. I used imitation extract the first few times and It took me a while to realize it was really messing with the taste.

When it comes to equipment, you can easily score the streusel topping with a knife, but if you’d like a concha cutter, you can purchase the one I used here. I also suggest using food coloring gel instead of liquid food coloring if you decide to add some color to your topping, as the liquid will make your topping really sticky and you’ll need a lot of it to get good color payoff.

I know they are a bit of a process but I promise they’re so worth it! Be sure to share your pictures with me if you happen to make them!

Nos vemos pronto!

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Classic Tres Leches (Pastel de Tres Leches)

Classic Tres Leches (Pastel de Tres Leches)

Polvorones Rosas (Mexican Pink Sugar Cookies)

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Pan De Muerto


This post is sponsored by Samsung, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Feliz  Dia de los Muertos!

If you’re not familiar, this holiday is celebrated in Mexico and in certain countries throughout Latin America, lasting 3 days to honor those who have passed. On the days leading up to the celebration, families start to set up altars dedicated to loved ones and pets that have passed–as a way to remember them and celebrate their spirits. Personally, death and the afterlife wasn’t something I really thought of until my grandma passed away a few years ago. Celebrating Dia de los Muertos helped pacify the blow of her absence by making me totally rethink of what and how I thought about death.

The altars people set up can often be very, very elaborate. They’ll be adorned with pictures of the deceased, marigolds, their favorite alcohol, water, their favorite dishes, sugar skulls and items of theirs amongst other things. If you happen to be in Mexico during the celebration, you’ll often see an influx of marigolds all around because they are an important part of the celebration. These bright blooms are said to be used to guide the deceased to their altars, and illuminate the path to their graves. Pan de muerto is a big staple in this celebration, and bakeries in Mexico often start selling this bread in early October, because people love it so much.

This year, I decided to refine my recipe for pan de muerto and added notes of orange, clove, ginger and cinnamon and really took my time forming each separate loaf. One of the things I’ve  learned about making pan de muerto is that this recipe requires your tender love and care. You need to take your time carefully forming the crossbones and really give it some time to rise after it all comes together or it won’t cooperate with you while it bakes. Luckily, my Samsung range has a built in compartment that allows you to proof your dough, so everything proofs in the perfect amount of time, every single time!

I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you have anytime for a baking project this weekend, get the family involved! This would make a great group activity to get everyone together and celebrate and share memories of those who have passed on!

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