How to Make Hojarasca Cookies (Bizcochitos Recipe)

Today we’re making hojarasca cookies! These Mexican shortbread cookies covered in cinnamon sugar are also known as bizcochitos, or pan de polvo and they are an incredibly easy and delicious to make.

I’ve been sharing all sorts of recipes from Chicano Bakes over on Instagram, and this is a recipe that did not make it in the book! Since it has been one of the most requested recipes, it was time to share it on the blog.

What are hojarasca cookies?

Hojarasca cookies are traditional Mexican shortbread cookies that are tossed and coated in cinnamon sugar. Hojarasca cookies are also recognized as Bizcochitos, and Pan de Polvo.

Gather your ingredients!

For the hojarasca dough, we’re going to need a couple of simple ingredients. We’ll need unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and regular granulated sugar.

Make the Hojarasca Cookie Dough:

Brown your butter!

To start, this recipe begins by browning butter. It’s a simple process and it is a great way to add depth and nuttiness to a cookie. To brown butter in this recipe, add 3/4 cup of unsalted butter to a saucepan over medium-low heat. The butter will melt and start to foam and fizzle. As the butter starts to brown, you’ll notice the milk solids start to toast and brown. They’ll start to float to the top. Stay nearby to constantly stir the butter to avoid having the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. After the butter has browned, pour it into a heatproof measuring cup and let it cool completely. Let it solidify at room temperature.

Browning the butter is the “hardest” thing about this recipe. After the browned butter has solidified toss it into the stand mixer bowl along with the rest of the softened unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat this mixture for 4 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy to ensure the brown sugar melts into the butter. After the butter is pale and fluffy, add in the flour mixture. Then portion out the dough onto a baking sheet.

Make the cookie dough!

Before baking the cookie tray, let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. This gives flavors enough time to get to know each other.

I made the decision to incorporate both browned butter and brown sugar to this recipe as a result of cinnamon being the prominent flavor in these cookies. The caramel notes the brown sugar adds and the nutty toffee notes the brown butter adds to the cookie dough work together to amplify and complement the cinnamon flavor, and it makes for a fantastic cookie!

Baking tips to keep in mind:

There is a science to baking, therefore the most important tip I’m going to give you in order to make Hojarasca cookies successfully, is to use a food scale to weigh out your ingredients. I often see folks not using a scale or not fluffing their flour properly which causes them to pack extra flour into their cups.

In this recipe, extra flour is going to cause your cookie dough to be dry and crumbly.

Enjoy your Hojarasca cookies!

To this end, that is all I have for you today! This recipe is so simple, and so delicious. Enjoy your cookies with a warm cup of atole, or champurrado. My favorite way to enjoy them is warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I hope you give this recipe a try, don’t froget to tag me on social if you make this recipe at home.

Have a recipe you’d like to see next? Let me know in the comments below.

Nos vemos pronto!

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3.88 from 16 votes

Hojarasca Cookies (Bizcochito Recipe)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword Bizcochito, Bizcochito Recipe, Bizcochitos, Hojarrasca, Hojarrasca Cookies, Hojarrascas

Servings 22 Cookies

Calories

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough:

• 1 ¼ cup Unsalted Butter (284 g), divided, at room temperature
• 2 ¾ cup All-Purpose Flour (343 g)
• ½ cup Powdered Sugar (50 g)
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt , or ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ⅓ cup Light Brown Sugar (69 g)
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar:

• ½ cup Granulated Sugar (100 g)
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Instructions

Brown the butter:

• In a medium sized saucepan, melt ¾ cup (171 g) of butter over medium-low heat.
• Wait for the butter to start fizzling and foaming, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula to make sure nothing burns or sticks to the bottom of the pan.
• The milk solids will start to brown and float to the top. Once the butter is a golden brown color, and the milk solids are toasted, pour the browned butter into a heatproof measuring cup. From start to finish, it should take about 12-14 minutes to brown the butter. Make sure to scrape all of the milk solids into the measuring cup, they hold a lot of flavor.
• Let the brown butter cool completely and solidify at room temperature.

Make the Cookie Dough:

• In a medium size bowl whisk together 2 ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
• Note: If you are not using a scale to weigh out your ingredients, make sure to properly fluff your flour. If you are packing your cups with flour, the dough will be dry and crumbly.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the brown butter and remaining ½ cup of unsalted butter, ⅓ cup of light brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
• Fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, then gradually bump the speed up to medium. Beat the butter and brown sugar together for 4 minutes, until the mixture is fluffy and pale in color.
• Reduce the speed to low, then add in the flour mixture ¼ cup at a time.
• Once all of the flour has been incorporated, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat the cookie dough on medium speed for one final minute.
• Line a 9×13 inch baking sheet with parchment.
• Use a 1 ½ tablespoon sized cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough, and space out each portion on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. I like to leave the cookie dough as scooped so the cracks and valleys stay on the cookies, but if you'd like for your cookies to be smooth and dome, just roll the cookie dough into balls.
• Then let the baking sheet with the cookie dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• While the cookie dough chills, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Once the cookie dough is ready, bake the cookies for 20-22 minutes, until the cookies are nice and golden brown. Let the baked cookies cool for 5 minutes.

Toss the cookies in Cinnamon Sugar:

• In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. After the cookies have cooled for 5 minutes, toss in the cinnamon sugar, then serve.

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