Marranitos (Puerquitos)

5 from 63 votes

Marranitos (Puerquitos) are soft and chewy Mexican piggy cookies. Made with piloncillo, spices, and plenty of butter for the best flavor. No wonder they are one of the most popular Mexican sweet breads.

Prep Time2 10

Cook Time13

Total Time2 23

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

⅔ c room temperature butter
¾ c piloncillo grated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground anise
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup molasses
1 egg (for egg wash)
splash of water (for egg wash)

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat butter until soft and creamy.
Add the piloncillo, vanilla, baking soda, ground cinnamon, orange zest, salt, anise, and ground cloves.
Mix until everything is combined, scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally.
Add in 2 eggs and molasses.
Mix to combine.
Add the flour.
Mix little by little until a dough forms.
Divide the dough in two.
Cover with plastic and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add flour to a table, roll half of the dough out. About ¼ inch thick.
Be careful not to roll out too thin.
Dust the cookie cutter with flour.
Cut out the shapes with the cookie cutter.
Place the unbaked marranitos on a cookie sheet. About 2 inches apart.
Mix the last egg with 2 tablespoons water to create an egg wash.
Brush the tops of the cookies with the egg wash.
Bake for 11-13 minutes.
Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Cool completely.
Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If you can't find anise, use ¼ teaspoon more of ground cloves.

Keep the other dough piece in the fridge as you work with the other one.

Is refrigerating cookie dough necessary?

In this case, YES! Refrigerating cookie dough will prevent the cookies from spreading, and they will hold their shape better. This is especially important for cut-out cookies like this one. When it’s cold, the fat solidifies and the cookies won’t spread.

Nutrition