Hojarascas (pronounced “oha-rascas” – the H is silent), when done right, are light, flakey and absolutely, deliciously addictive cinnamon sugar coated shortbread cookies.
As a child, I recall tasting hojarascas that were purchased from the local Mexican bakery. I found them to be heavy and dry and didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
Not until many years later, a friend and coworker brought a tin of hojarascas (that her grandmother had made) into our office. The cookies were deliciously light, flakey and addicting. So, I thought I would look for a recipe and give them a try.
After hours of hard work, sadly my cookies were terrible! They were heavy, dry and certainly, nothing like the tasty treats my friend’s grandmother had made.
One restless night, as I was flipping through the TV channels, I came across a Mexican cooking show. Note this was back in the early 80’s prior to the well-produced food TV shows we’ve become accustomed to seeing. A young man was with his grandmother demonstrating how she made Hojarascas.
Fortunately, I am fluent in Spanish and was able to follow the broadcast. Her recipe was very similar to the one I had BUT the big difference was the method she used to make the dough. The very next day I made a batch of these cookies using my same recipe with the technique I had learned. SUCCESS! This recipe has become a part of my holiday tradition.
-Mi Cocina