Foodie Fridays: Gingerbread Pigs (Marranitos)

 

When I first arrived in Santa Fe last year, the local Walmart bakery section sold a delightful cookie I had never seen before, in the shape of a large pig and redolent with the flavors of with molasses and ginger.  These gingerbread pigs, known as marranitos (or puerquitos or cochinitos) are a Mexican specialty.  They are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and in my opinion are better than most of the Christmas gingerbread man cookies I have tasted over the years.

The marranitos at Walmart were sold individually, and about once a month I would indulge my sweet tooth and buy one.  Unfortunately, the powers that be at Walmart decided to stop selling my favorite treat, and I have not seen them anywhere else since.  Even though I am terrible at making rolled cookies (my cutouts never seem to keep their intended shape), I was determined to make my own.  I checked out recipes online and discovered that they really are not that difficult to make.  Since the cookies are a type of gingerbread I decided that I would make them for Christmas this year.  I found a lovely large pig cookie cutter on Amazon and ordered it. Then I chose the Marranitos recipe from Isabel Eats, but cut the amounts in half since I did not want to have to eat two dozen or more of these over-sized confections.

Despite my track record, I only had minor problems when making the cookies.  I used half all purpose and half white whole wheat flour, and had to add more all purpose flour to get the dough to a dry enough consistency to roll out.  I should have floured my rolling surface more than I did because the cookies were a bit difficult to lift onto the cookie sheets, but luckily the dough is sturdy enough to retain its shape (with a bit of poking and prodding to repair any deformities created during the transfer).  Also, I lined my cookie sheets with Silpat, and found that it was best to lift the cookies off with a spatula as they still have a tendency to stick even to this supposedly nonstick surface.  Finally, be sure to turn the cookies over to let the bottoms cool as well, or they will keep sticking.

Otherwise, my first attempt at making marranitos was quite successful, if I do say so myself!  This recipe may have to become a Christmas tradition for me, just like my annual fruitcake baking for my siblings, and this is a Christmas treat I would actually enjoy eating.  Best of all, my husband loves gingerbread cookies even more than I do, so I think he will be an easy convert to the idea of having gingerbread pigs instead of gingerbread men!

Gingerbread Pigs (Marranitos)

1/4 C. (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/2 C. dark brown sugar, packed
1 egg
6 T. molasses
2 T. milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Cream together the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until smooth.  Beat the egg in a small bowl and add half to the butter mixture.  Mix in the molasses, milk, and vanilla until smooth.

Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients 1/2 cup at a time and mix until well combined.  The dough should cleanly pull away from the mixing bowl (add more flour, one tablespoonful at a time, if the dough is too wet to get the right consistency).

Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness.  Use a large pig-shaped cookie cutter to cut into pigs.  Place the pigs 1 1/2 inches apart on parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheets.  Brush the remaining egg over the tops of the cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  Makes 12-14 cookies.