Marranitos (Mexican Pig-Shaped Cookies)
How to make Marranitos ( Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons honey
2 large eggs, room temperature / one egg for egg wash
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
5 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add the dark brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add one egg, molasses, milk, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger, and mix thoroughly
Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix until well combined.
The dough will seem a bit crumbly, but once you’ve stirred in as much of the flour as you can, use your hands to quickly knead in the rest of the flour. The dough should cleanly pull away from the mixing bowl.
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Pull the dough together into a large disc and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Cut dough in half and wrap one half back in plastic wrap, set aside (or refrigerate for now). Roll another half of the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼” thickness.
Use a large pig-shaped cookie cutter (dip in a bit of flour) to cut out pig-shaped cookies. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Re-roll the dough and repeat. Repeat with another half of the dough when ready.
In a small bowl, crack open the remaining egg and whisk. Brush the beaten egg over the tops of the pigs using a pastry brush.
Slide into a preheated oven and bake in the middle rack for 15 to 17 minutes or until cookies just start to turn golden around the edges and are just cooked through.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Keep them covered so they remain soft.