Marranitos (Mexican Pig-Shaped Cookies)

Marranitos (or cochinos, or puerquitos, as are they are called in some Mexican-American communities) are often called 'Gingerbread Pigs,' although they don't actually have ginger in them - and no cinnamon either. In fact, traditional marranitos get their delicious spicy-brown goodness from molasses. This recipe is a trans-pecos region variation, it uses the non-traditional addition of cinnamon. You may wish to try also adding a bit of dry ground ginger, and you may use a milk wash instead of an egg wash.

Author: The Chef

Cuisine: American

Recipe type: Main dish

Ingredients

1¼ cups packed brown sugar
¼ cup shortening
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup unsulfured molasses
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar and shortening until smooth. Mix in 1 egg, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the baking soda, cinnamon, and molasses. Mix in flour until the dough is stiff enough to roll out.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into cookies using a pig shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the tops of the cookies.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the centers of the cookies appear dry and edges are lightly browned.