New Mexico favorite Cinco de Mayo cookie: anise flavored shortbread cookie spiked with brandy.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Does your state have an official state cookie? As someone whose first word was cookie, according to my mom, I think my state should have one.
The bizcochito, also spelled biscochito, is New Mexico’s official state cookie and is a traditional favorite there for Cinco de Mayo celebrations. This cookie isn’t well-known outside of New Mexico, it's true, but the recipe has been around for a few hundred years! It’s tangled roots can be traced all the way back to the early Spanish colonists, and was strongly influenced by Hispanics from Central America who later settled there. Although variations proliferate, these cookies are essentially an anise-flavored shortbread cookie, and are served by themselves or as an ice cream sandwich cookie (my personal favorite).
New Mexico was actually the first state to have an official state cookie, with a goal of supporting traditional home-baked cooking. Traditions are wonderful to honor through foods, I'm all for that. So now I’m doing some serious thinking about what traditions the California state cookie should preserve.
Meanwhile, I’ll make another batch of these bizcochitos for a Cinco de Mayo party.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Bizcochitos
Ingredients
Cookie Base
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons date sugar regular cane sugar can be substituted
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon anise seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brandy Apple brandy is wonderful here
Cinnamon Dust
- 1 tablespoon date sugar or regular cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon I recommend Mexican cinnamon if you have it
Ice Cream Center
- Your favorite ice cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the butter, coconut oil, and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. A hand mixer works fine too. Beat on high, until fluffy. The color will become noticeably lighter from the air being beat into the butter mixture, and may take up to 5 minutes.
- Add the egg, and continue to whip until completely absorbed and the batter is fluffy again, about 3 minutes.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, anise seed, and salt in a bowl. Add all at once to the butter mix. On a low speed, mix until a crumbly mixture develops.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the two Cinnamon Dust ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the brandy and continue mixing until it comes together into a ball of dough. Remove the dough and place on a workspace.
- Divide the ball into 12 equal pieces. If using scales, each piece weighs approximately one ounce. Roll each piece into a ball. Dip each into the bowl with the Cinnamon Dust and coat just one side of the ball of dough. Place on the cookie sheet and slightly flatten. I flatten them using the bottom of a glass. If the glass has a pattern, like mine, that pattern will be imprinted on the cookies.
- Bake on the middle rack for 10 – 12 minutes. The edges of the cookies should look a little dry. If you’re using cane sugar instead of date sugar, you will see the cookies slightly darken around their edges.
For Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Pop the cookies in the freezer, along with a plate, spoon, and knife for 15 - 20 minutes. At the same time, set the ice cream you plan to use on the counter for 15 - 20 minutes to slightly soften, making it easier to work with.
- Remove the cookies, plate, spoon, and knife from the freezer and spoon at least two tablespoons of ice cream onto the bottom of one cookie. Place a cookie on top, with the flat bottom facing the ice cream. Squeeze gently and use the knife to smooth the edges.
- Place the cookie back in the freezer while you complete the rest of the sandwiches.
- Remove from the freezer and enjoy!!
apuginthekitchen
Wow, what a fanatastic cookie and ice cream sandwich. Now I am wondering if NY has an official state cookie.
laurasmess
Oh wow... these cookies look amazing! I've never heard of bizcochitos, nor date sugar, for that matter. Unfortunately there's not a whole heap of authentic Mexican food here in Western Australia but I've been really enjoying all of the Cinco de Mayo posts from US food bloggers (I've learned heaps!). Thanks for sharing this recipe. I'm going to give these a go... ice-cream sandwiches are so delicious (the combination of flavours sounds fantastic!)
lizthechef
A huge fan of Northern New Mexico, I never knew about a state cookie - hey, why not?
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen
Mmm... the perfect cookie for so many ice cream flavors Susan! Great way to end a cinco de mayo party!
Renee
I had no idea states had official cookies. I can see why when there are ones as good as this. I'll take a couple dozen please!
Choc Chip Uru
I would love to try this cookie sandwich 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
lapadia
Happy Cinco de Mayo! Love these cookies, wouldn't that be great to start an official state cookie movement!!! Your photo is mouthwatering!
Kim Beaulieu
This looks positively amazing.
mjskit
Well you certainly took this cookie to a whole new level! 🙂 I do love biscochitos but the traditional recipes are very high in fat. I love that you have brought that down quite a bit. Your base cookies look delicious without the ice cream, but I certainly wouldn't refuse the whole thing. Great recipe Susan! Another bit of trivia about New Mexico - we are the only state to have an official state question: Red or Green?