Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Me and my son finally put up TWO Christmas trees in the last couple of days! We have a regular one and a Charlie Brown tree 🙂 I’ll be doing a post in the next few days. Today I’m taking you back to a post I did last year. If you don’t have an idea on which type of cookie to make for Christmas…Biscochos might be a good idea. They aren’t really that hard to make. The cinnamon, anise flavored cookies are a favorite here in El Paso and in many American southwest cities. According to E Reference Desk, the cookies are so popular they were adapted as the official New Mexico cookie in 1989. The cookie/recipe was brought by the early Spanish settlers. Besides Christmas, Biscochos are made for special occasions like wedding receptions and baptisms. What are your favorite desserts and foods for Christmastime? Feel free to share them in the comments section. Have a good day and I’ll be back soon!   

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Happy Friday everyone! I hope your Friday was good! It was a long day for me but I made it! Today is day 3 of the Christmas Challenge for me. The challenge asks me to share one of my favorite Christmas foods or recipes. I asked my mom if I could share her Biscochos (can also be spelled Bizcochos) recipe. Biscochos are Mexican holiday cinnamon and sugar cookies. The cookies are typically made for weddings and Christmas gatherings. The cookies are very soft and melt in your mouth. What are some of your favorite Christmas foods and recipes?

Please stay tuned for the Saturday Evening Interview and Day 4 of the Christmas Challenge tomorrow. I’m inviting any of my readers to participate in the Christmas Challenge going forward. Please take a look at my Day 1 or 2 challenge posts for the rules and daily challenge list. Feel free to participate in any or all of the challenges!

Biscochos

1 pound of lard

6 cups of flour

2 eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 pinch of salt

1 half cup of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill or orange juice

1 half cup anise seed

For the cookie dip

1 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix lard, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl with a wooden spoon.

Combine eggs and Boone’s Farm or orange juice with the above ingredients.

Gradually add flour and anise seed.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Use a star or heart-shaped cookie cutter to shape the cookies.

Bake cookies for 5-10 minutes.

Remove cookies from the oven when the cookies are light brown in color.

For the cookie dip

Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Place cookies in the cinnamon and sugar while they are warm and taken out of the oven.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Photo from Peachtree.com