Polvorones: Spanish Christmas Cookies
Polvorones are a traditional Christmas cookie from the south of Spain. Made from almonds, they crumble into a delicate powder in your mouth, perfect for soaking up eggnog!
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ▢ ¾ cup raw blanched almonds
- ▢ ½ cup lard or ⅔ cup unsalted butter
- ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven until they are lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C).
- Take the almonds out of the oven and grind into a flour-like texture in a food processor.
- Beat the lard, sugar, and cinnamon with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add the flour and ground almonds to the lard mixture and incorporate into a crumbly dough. Work the dough into the shape of a ball.
- Place a sheet of waxed paper or parchment onto a clean countertop or cutting board, then place the ball of dough on top. Carefully flatten it with a floured rolling pin to a rectangle that’s about ½ inch (12mm) thick.
- Cut the dough into round cookies with a cutter, then gently move the cookies to a greased baking tray with a spatula.
- Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes, until you see the edges start to turn a golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray, as moving them while they’re hot will likely cause them to crumble.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, dust them with powdered sugar and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
- Toasting the almonds before grinding them into flour will add a lot of flavor to the cookies.
- If you’re in a hurry, replace the toasted, blanched almonds with ¾ cup (83g) of blanched almond flour. You can also toast the flour briefly in a skillet or in the oven before using.
- Make sure the lard or butter is at room temperature before using.
- Let the polvorones cool completely on the tray before moving them, or they may break.
Nutrition
Calories: 178.26kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.46g | Protein: 1.32g | Fat: 5.87g | Saturated Fat: 3.66g | Cholesterol: 15.25mg | Sodium: 1.75mg | Potassium: 20.8mg | Fiber: 0.38g | Sugar: 22.44g | Vitamin A: 177.27IU | Vitamin C: 0.08mg | Calcium: 4.41mg | Iron: 0.61mg