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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!

Find the recipe in my new cookbook Chicano Bakes:

MARRANITOS & PUERQUITOS (SOFT MEXICAN GINGERBREAD PIG SHAPED COOKIES)

The cookie dough is really easy to make and it comes together in a few minutes, and the combination of molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, all spice, and ginger is sure to fill your kitchen with sweet nostalgia. You can stop by your local cake supply store or Sur La Table for the pig shaped cookie cutter, but I bought mine on Amazon here.

Let me know if you happen to make these, and share your pictures with me on Instagram!

I’m including links to other pan dulce recipe below! Make sure to check out my cajeta and pumpkin chocoflan, galletas con sprinkles and telera rolls!

¡Nos vemos pronto!

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4.08 from 145 votes

Marranitos & Puerquitos (Soft Mexican Gingerbread Pig Cookies)

Makes 16 Large Cookies

This is the cookie cutter I used.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Mexican
Calories
Author Esteban Castillo

Ingredients

For the Cookie Dough

  • 4 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour (562 g)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter , room temperature (143 g)
  • 1 ⅓ cup Dark Brown Sugar , packed (277 g)
  • ¼ Cup Molasses (84 g)
  • ¼ cup Buttermilk (57 g)
  • 2 Large Eggs , room temperature

For the Egg Wash:

  • 2 Eggs whisked together

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for about a minute. Reduce the speed to low then slowly pour in the molasses and buttermilk. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure that ones mixed in before adding the next. After the eggs have been mixed in, add one third of the dry ingredients, wait for it to incorporate, then add the next third, wait and then add the rest.
  • At this point, the cookie dough is going to be soft, so divide your dough into 4 equal sized balls, then wrap them up with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for 4 hours to chill.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Once the dough has chilled, roll your dough out on a well floured surface to abut a 1/2 inch thickness. Use your cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, then evenly space them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (You should be able to get 4 cookies per ball of dough) I like to dip my cookie cutter in a little bit of flour to make sure I get clean edges.
  • Once you have your cookies on your cookie sheet, brush on the egg wash, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have risen and the tops have begun to crack.
  • Let your cookies cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

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72 Comments

  • Reply
    The Sunday Dish 12.9.18: Holiday Cookie Swap | Kitchen Konfidence | Holiday Cookie Recipes
    December 10, 2018 at 8:19 pm

    5 stars
    […] Marranitos & Puerquitos (Soft Mexican Gingerbread Pig Cookies) by Chicano Eats.  A Mexican treat! […]

    • Reply
      Vickey
      December 28, 2019 at 8:02 am

      5 stars
      Is dark molasses blackstrap? Or can i use just regular molasses?

      • Reply
        Esteban
        December 28, 2019 at 8:52 am

        Hi Vickey! Regular molasses is perfect!

      • Reply
        Brandy
        February 12, 2021 at 5:00 pm

        5 stars
        This is the only marranito recipe/cookie I’ve ever tried and I will never try another. I make these for my husband and his family and they like these better than the ones they get at the Mexican store

        • Reply
          Nazir
          October 31, 2021 at 11:40 am

          5 stars
          Tried these today at the bakery. Turned out great

          • Lydia
            December 15, 2021 at 7:28 am

            5 stars
            This is good. Can I freeze the dough?

      • Reply
        Mary Roman
        October 1, 2023 at 3:16 pm

        Can the marranitos dough be frozen?

        • Reply
          Esteban
          October 1, 2023 at 5:52 pm

          Yes, it can! Just make sure it’s placed in an airtight container, or wrapped in plastic wrap.

    • Reply
      LAC
      November 28, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      5 stars
      I am eating one right now. Soft and chewy and so delicious.

    • Reply
      Colton D. Nash
      December 2, 2023 at 4:28 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious recipe!

  • Reply
    Guide to Mexican Pan Dulce - The Other Side of the Tortilla
    June 12, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    5 stars
    […] Marranito de piloncillo (or puerquito or cochinitos): A cookie in the shape of a pig—thus the name—made with piloncillo. Very typical of Western Veracruz and Eastern Puebla. It can be found throughout the country and the recipe may vary slightly, but its main ingredients are flour, eggs, piloncillo, cinnamon, baking powder and an egg wash for its shiny finish. Try this recipe for marranitos from Chicano Eats.  […]

    • Reply
      Pris
      December 15, 2019 at 11:33 am

      What are the exact recipe for the marrintos with piloncillo

      • Reply
        Esteban
        December 15, 2019 at 3:38 pm

        You can substitute the brown sugar for 10 ounces of piloncillo (they’re essentially the same thing), it’s just easier to use brown sugar because it doesn’t need to be grated down.

        • Reply
          Paul
          June 12, 2021 at 1:19 pm

          Can buttermilk be substituted with regular milk?

          • Jeanette
            July 29, 2021 at 7:03 am

            5 stars
            Hey Paul, you can make buttermilk for baking and cooking with. Take 1 cup of milk (best with a higher fat content, so whole milk or 2% work best), remove a tablespoon from the cup of milk making it a scant cup, then add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice, mix with a whisk or fork, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. It will look curdled after it rests and that’s what you want. The mixture then acts as buttermilk and reacts to the baking soda in the recipe. I use this to make my syrup because I don’t use buttermilk all the time and end up throwing away more of it than I use it seems like. I have also used thus trick in a number of recipes calling for buttermilk, it may not give the exact same flavor as using buttermilk, but in my experience it hasn’t made an impact on the flavor at all. I even made buttermilk pancakes for my mother using this trick and she said they were the best she’d ever had. Good luck!

      • Reply
        Emma Garcia
        August 16, 2020 at 3:47 pm

        5 stars
        Puerquitos were my favorite growing up, they still are! We would get them freshly made at a local panadería. I would walk to the corner store and eat mine on my way home. They were somewhat crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, I loved the spices. I’ve died and gone to heaven, I will try this recipe ASAP! Thank you!

    • Reply
      Beatrice Perez
      January 3, 2022 at 4:53 am

      With the marranitos, can I freeze them?
      If so how?

    • Reply
      edith reyes
      December 22, 2022 at 11:01 am

      5 stars
      Loved them ! Make them every year now ! Thank you I’ve tried several of your recipes and yes they are all fabulous .

  • Reply
    Michele Maliano
    July 22, 2019 at 6:46 am

    5 stars
    Best recipe I’ve found so far. Did not have to alter anything.

    • Reply
      Esteban
      July 25, 2019 at 5:13 pm

      That makes me so happy to hear Michele! 🙂

  • Reply
    Ricardo Mendoza
    August 23, 2019 at 8:42 am

    can i substitute piloncillo for dark molasses?

    • Reply
      Esteban
      August 26, 2019 at 6:20 pm

      Hi Ricardo, I would not recommend substituting molasses for piloncillo. Dark molasses has a completely different flavor profile than piloncillo (think of the molasses as a dark caramel) which is crucial to the flavor of the cookie. If you do end up making the swap, the texture of the cookie dough will also be a lot more dry.

  • Reply
    Stella Hernandez
    October 21, 2019 at 8:45 am

    I’m a little confuses on step 3. Do I put plastic wrap on top of an empty bowl and then pour the dough so that it falls into the bowl but on top of the wrap??

    • Reply
      Esteban
      October 21, 2019 at 8:32 pm

      Yes!

  • Reply
    Lisa Cantu
    November 17, 2019 at 9:35 am

    5 stars
    Can you freeze the dough to bake a week later? I am going to a cookie exchange party and need to make 13 dozen and wanted to make the dough a head of time and do the baking the day before of

    • Reply
      Esteban
      November 20, 2019 at 11:48 am

      Hi Lisa! I haven’t frozen the dough for a week, but I did freeze it overnight and it was okay. I would suggest making the dough 2-3 days before if you’re able to!

  • Reply
    Julie
    December 2, 2019 at 2:52 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! Soft and chewy. I think they taste better the next day 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!!

    • Reply
      Esteban
      December 4, 2019 at 4:10 pm

      That was my favorite thing about them! I was never a fan of the dry and crumbly ones! Haha.

  • Reply
    Monica
    December 26, 2019 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    These were so yummy! I been missing my Mexican flavors living on the East Cost now. Pan dulce out here is not the same as California I decided to add extra Molasses to my second batch gracias for sharing your recipe ❤️👌🏼

    • Reply
      Esteban
      December 26, 2019 at 5:28 pm

      I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them Monica! Abrazos!

  • Reply
    William
    February 25, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    5 stars
    These were so easy to make and so delicious. Thanks for the recipe.

  • Reply
    Paul
    March 1, 2020 at 5:16 pm

    5 stars
    Do you have to use dark molasses? Or can you use regular molasses?

    • Reply
      Esteban
      March 4, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      Hi Paul, the recipe uses regular molasses!

  • Reply
    Rebecca Wynn
    April 20, 2020 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    You really nailed this recipe! These are my dad’s favorite cookie. Easy to make and they turn out perfect every time. Thank you!

    • Reply
      Esteban
      April 20, 2020 at 10:28 am

      Really glad you enjoyed these!! 🙂

  • Reply
    15 Peruvian Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth | Peru For Less
    April 24, 2020 at 8:20 am

    5 stars
    […] Cochinito, pig-shaped mini sweet breads. Photo by Chicano Eats. […]

  • Reply
    Cristina Rodriguez
    May 12, 2020 at 6:20 pm

    5 stars
    Can you use regular butter??

    • Reply
      Esteban
      May 12, 2020 at 8:44 pm

      Hi Cristina, there’s two types of butter you can find at the store, salted and unsalted! If you happen to have salted butter at home, I would use it but not add the 1 teaspoon of salt the recipe calls for or the cookies will be really salty. If you have regular unsalted butter at home, follow the recipe as is!

      • Reply
        Stephen Hart
        July 8, 2023 at 7:31 pm

        Is it traditional to serve the cookies as is, or can they be decorated like gingerbread men?

        • Reply
          Esteban
          July 9, 2023 at 12:44 pm

          Hi Stephen, they’re usually served as is, but if you want to decorate them with icing, you definitely should!! Let me know how they turn out!

  • Reply
    Nicole
    May 15, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    5 stars
    I want to use 3 cups of flour, does that affect the other measurements?

    • Reply
      Esteban
      May 15, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      Yes it will, baking is a science so all of the measurements have to be precise! If you only use 3 cups of flour for this recipe, you’re going to have a really really wet dough.

  • Reply
    Danielle
    June 4, 2020 at 1:49 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe. Came out nice and soft and perfect with coffee. Thank you for teaching me!

  • Reply
    steph
    July 17, 2020 at 12:55 am

    5 stars
    Did you try just using a cookie cutter? Trying to avoid buying the cutter lol

    • Reply
      Esteban
      July 17, 2020 at 8:17 pm

      Yes, you can use whatever cookie cutter you have available!

  • Reply
    Frances
    July 22, 2020 at 6:06 pm

    5 stars
    Super Buena receta! Me salerion fantasicas y a mi familia les encanto. Gracias por compartir tu receta. 🙂

  • Reply
    Lilia B.
    August 30, 2020 at 10:42 am

    5 stars
    Just make these for Sunday Brunch and all I can say: this is the go to recipe! Many recipes produce cookies that are too dry, not chewing, or the flavor for spices are off. These are the real deal.

    Refrigerated the dough over night to move things along for the morning. Let it rest a few minutes before rolling out and popped into the preheated oven. Exceptional! Thank you Esteban!

  • Reply
    Dessertivore International Desserts Bakealong October 2020: Mexico ⋆ The Dessertivore
    October 7, 2020 at 9:04 am

    5 stars
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  • Reply
    Dee
    November 4, 2020 at 7:36 pm

    Where can we purchase the maranito cookie cutter? Thanks

    • Reply
      Dee Gonzales
      February 13, 2021 at 9:37 am

      5 stars
      My family snd friends loved this recipe! I added a tad bit more ginger just because we like that little extra . This recipe will definitely be in our family recipe files forever. During this pandemic we can’t get ti the bakery as often do this is the best thing for us.

  • Reply
    Eli
    November 14, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    4 stars
    I think i might have done something wrong because i chilled the dough in my fridge for 4hrs but the dough was really hard and cracked when i tried to roll it out did i miss something?

    • Reply
      Esteban
      November 15, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      Hi Ileana, Did you place it in the freezer? If you placed it in the fridge, it shouldn’t have cracked. We’re essentially just letting the dough chill so the butter firms back up and rolls out much easier!

      • Reply
        Adilene
        February 8, 2024 at 4:20 pm

        Haven’t made these yet but wanted to know if you measure your flour in packed cups or spooned and leveled?

        • Reply
          Esteban
          February 8, 2024 at 10:23 pm

          Hi Adilene, I would recommend going by the weights listed for accuracy, but if you don’t bake by weight, make sure to fluff your flour really well before you begin. My cup of flour weighs 125 grams, which is on the lighter end, so I would not recommend packing extra flour into your cups.

  • Reply
    Patricia
    November 21, 2020 at 1:44 pm

    5 stars
    Best recipe ever! They were delicious! I’ve been searching for a piggy recipe & hit the jackpot!

  • Reply
    Jennifer Arias
    November 24, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    5 stars
    My 4 year old daughter and I had so much fun baking these. Marranitos are my absolute favorites. This recipe is so delicious. Definitely going to try your other recipes. Thank you!!!

  • Reply
    Bree
    November 25, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made these many times – but vegan! For those who are vegan or anyone in general, I make my own buttermilk with unsweetened soy milk and apple cider vinegar. My butter replacement is earth balance’s baking sticks. For eggs, I use a flax egg or bob’s red mill egg replacer. Lastly, for the egg wash I just brush on some unsweetened soy milk. It comes out perfectly!

  • Reply
    Natalie
    November 29, 2020 at 9:49 am

    5 stars
    Hi – can I freeze these cookies after I bake them? I don’t want to try to eat all of them right away?

    • Reply
      Esteban
      November 29, 2020 at 1:51 pm

      Hi Natalie, I would just keep them in an airtight container and they should stay fresh for a few days!

  • Reply
    Erin
    December 3, 2020 at 8:54 pm

    5 stars
    They’re good. Really good.

  • Reply
    Maria Kurzawski
    January 14, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    5 stars
    This is my favorite pan dulce, the piggie 🐖 and your recipe is exactly how we like them. Chewy and so much flavor. Thank you very much!

  • Reply
    Jenny
    February 1, 2021 at 7:56 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe (followed every step precisely) and they came out perfectly!!! Definitely saving this for the future 🙂 thank you.

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    5 stars
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  • Reply
    Luz Alvarez-Cruz
    April 18, 2021 at 9:45 pm

    5 stars
    Best recipe ever and simple instructions to follow. Please share more delicious recipes.

  • Reply
    Viviana
    December 2, 2021 at 4:41 am

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe lasr year and want to make it again. Is there any substitute for molasses? I had a crazy allergic reaction to it while cooking (bad hives) but everyone loved them so much

  • Reply
    Kristin
    December 20, 2021 at 7:35 pm

    5 stars
    The absolute best gingerbread cochi recipe!!! Making my third batch this month.

  • Reply
    Pat Garza
    December 22, 2021 at 9:17 am

    5 stars
    Hello Esteban,
    I just love your Marriantos cookie recipe. This was my first time to bake these cookies, and it certainly won’t be my last; as a matter of fact I’m going to bake more today.
    Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply
    The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Ignores Mexican Week - All Things Newz
    October 10, 2022 at 9:53 am

    5 stars
    […] No! But tonight, I am going to make marranitos for myself. I deserve some little pig cookies to dunk into my coffee after this whole experience. […]

  • Reply
    RUDINA PONCE
    November 7, 2022 at 8:41 am

    5 stars
    Loved it. Super easy and fun watching those little Peggy’s bake. Well balanced ingredients. Mine did not crackle on top but were moist and tastes great. Big hit. Question? Is there something I didn’t do that I didn’t get the cracks on top? I followed UT to the T

  • Reply
    Niza
    December 24, 2022 at 8:43 am

    5 stars
    A great recipe!..

  • Reply
    Marranitos Mexican Pig Shaped Cookies (Gluten-Free/Keto) « LikeHotKeto
    April 28, 2023 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    […] found several marranitos recipes with ginger, and I added ginger one time while recipe testing. Daniel actually preferred them with ginger. I […]

  • Reply
    Yvonne
    October 26, 2023 at 8:49 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe, it is my favorite cookie! I live out on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state and the owners of our only local panaderia sold up and retired after decades of making the best pan dulce my family has ever had. I will now have to make my own Puerquitos, so this recipe is a godsend.

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