Name: Marranitos ( Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Mexican
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

Marranitos, these popular pig-shaped cookies known as Puerquitos, Cerditos, or Cochitos, get their delicious spicy-brown goodness from molasses. Moist and rich-tasting beneath a glossy, ever-so-slightly flaky top.

Almost like a gingerbread cookie, but thicker and cakey-er. Marranitos are perfect to accompany a cup of hot chocolate, or Café de Olla (Mexican Coffee)

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These cute little Mexican piggy cookies are made with molasses and are usually found in your local Pan Dulce (Sweet Bread) panaderia (bakery). Mexican bakers traditionally use piloncillo - a hard raw sugar that is dried into a cone shape and then grated into a recipe - if piloncillo is not available at your grocery store, regular dark brown sugar can be used.

Said to have originated in Veracruz, Mexico, after the arrival of the Spanish (the pig was unknown before then), Marranitos have taken a place alongside the Concha and Oreja as iconic Mexican Pan Dulce.

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Marranito is a truly delicious Mexican treat that you can make at home! And did I mention how soft and thick these cookies are?

Ingredients In This Marranito Recipe:

Wet Ingredients

Butter - room temperature*(note below)

Molasses

Eggs - large, room temperature*

Milk - whole milk

Honey

Vanilla Extract - Mexican, or regular vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

Flour - All-purpose flour

Baking soda

Ground cinnamon & ground ginger

Brown Sugar - Dark brown or grated piloncillo

How to Make Marranitos

Preheat the oven to 350°F*. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

❤Why preheat the oven? Time and temperature can actually affect the texture and flavor of your food, especially when baking.🎔

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.

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.

How to Store Marranitos

Store these Marranitos between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.