Polvorones (Spanish Almond Shortbread Cookies)

About This Recipe

Polvorones are traditional Spanish holiday cookies, especially associated with Christmas, made from a simple dough of flour, ground almonds, sugar, and lard or butter that's baked until pale and then generously dusted in powdered sugar. Their name comes from 'polvo,' meaning dust or powder, referencing both the delicate, crumbly texture of the cookie itself and its heavy sugar coating -- these cookies famously dissolve into a fine powder in your mouth with the first bite. The technique that defines polvorones is toasting the flour before mixing the dough: raw flour baked directly into a cookie can taste starchy and pasty, so Spanish bakers toast it in a dry pan or a low oven first until it turns a very pale golden color and smells faintly nutty, which is what gives polvorones their signature delicate, sandy crumb. The dough is mixed minimally, just until it comes together, since overworking develops gluten and results in a tougher, less crumbly cookie. Wrapped individually in twists of tissue paper, as is traditional in Spain, and served alongside coffee or as part of a holiday dessert spread, polvorones are meant to be eaten in small bites -- their extreme crumbliness makes them almost impossible to eat any other way.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2.5 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1 cupground almonds
• 1 cuplard or unsalted butter(softened)
• 0.75 cupsugar
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 0.25 tspsalt
• 0.75 cuppowdered sugar(for dusting)

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the flour

   Spread flour on a baking sheet and toast in a 150C/300F oven for 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until pale golden and fragrant. Let cool completely.

2. 2

   Toast the almonds

   Toast ground almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant.

3. 3

   Cream the fat

   Beat lard or butter with sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. 4

   Combine

   Mix in vanilla and salt, then gradually fold in the cooled toasted flour, toasted almonds, and cinnamon until a soft, slightly crumbly dough forms. Do not overmix.

5. 5

   Shape

   Roll dough to about 1.5cm thickness and cut into small ovals or rounds.

6. 6

   Bake

   Preheat oven to 170C/340F. Bake cookies 15-18 minutes until just set and very lightly golden at the edges -- they should not brown significantly.

7. 7

   Cool and dust

   Let cool completely on the tray (they're very fragile while warm), then dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.

Variations

• •

  Use hazelnuts instead of almonds for a different traditional variation called mantecados de avellana.

• •

  Add lemon or orange zest to the dough for a bright, citrusy note against the toasted almond flavor.

• •

  Wrap each cooled cookie individually in a twist of tissue paper, the traditional Spanish presentation for holiday gifting.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks; they're quite sturdy once fully cooled despite their crumbly texture when eaten.

Frequently Asked Questions