Holiday Spiced Concha Cookies

Every year the holiday season seems to kick our sweet tooth into high gear and this year is no different. We've got a list of cookies to bake, some from recipes we've shared with you before like Champurradas, Polvorones or Mayan Chocolate Cookies and some new. Today we're going to share a recipe with you for Holiday Spiced Concha Cookies which are a bit of a riff on a traditional concha. Conchas are pan dulce or sweet bread which is traditionally eaten throughout the year in countries like Guatemala and Mexico. Pan dulce are small breads, biscuits and cookies that are enjoyed throughout the day. They could be served at breakfast or with an afternoon coffee.

A traditional concha is a bread made with sugar, butter and yeast. Concha means shell in Spanish and is appropriate for our cookie recipe that consists of a pumpkin-spiced dough with a "shell" on top made from a dough of butter, masa harina and flour. The spice mix in the Holiday Conchas includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and ancho chile powder, none of which you would find in a traditional pan dulce.

To make Holiday Spiced Concha Cookies, gather the ingredients together, line two baking sheets with parchment and have your mixer ready. Measure the flour, salt, baking powder and spices in a small bowl and set aside.

Next, beat the butter and sugar together until it's creamy and fluffy, then add the vanilla and egg and combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined. From here, the dough may be quite sticky. With wet hands, divide the dough into 36 balls and place them on one of the baking sheets and put them in the refrigerator. While they chill, mix the remaining butter and sugar in a clean bowl for a minute and then add in the flour and masa harina. Masa harina is a dried corn dough that is often used to make tortillas, tamales and pupusas. It is made from ground nixtamalized maize. The nixtamalization process soaks dried corn kernels in water and something alkaline.

Once the butter, sugar, flour and masa harina come together in lumps, it is ready to be divided into 36 pieces.

Remove the balls of cookie dough from the refrigerator. Each piece of masa harina dough needs to be flattened in a round circle. The easiest way to do this is to press the dough with your thumb into the palm of your other hand. Then, lay the dough over one of the cookie dough balls and press to form one round ball, the bottom of the cookie will not be covered. Once each dough ball is covered, spread the cookies across two parchment lined baking sheets. With the tip of a sharp knife, score each cookie with three or four lines.

Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350°F. The cookies will start to brown along the edges. Remove them from the oven, let them cool on the baking sheets and then start arranging the cookie plate! Don't forget to brew a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate to serve alongside the conchas.

Click here to print the recipe for Holiday Spiced Concha Cookies.

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Holiday Spiced Concha Cookies

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