Mantecados Recipe: Traditional Spanish Shortbread Cookies
This easy and delicious mantecados recipe will have you enjoying Spain's favorite cookies in no time!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time18 minutes mins
Total Time33 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Spanish
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 216.71kcal
- 1 cup of soft butter or vegetable shortening you can also use traditional pork lard if you want
- ½ cup of light olive oil
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 lemon peel grated
- 2 teaspoons of lemon juice tip: use the same lemon that you zest
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 cups of flour tip: for a gluten-free option, try almond flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ cup of almond halves optional
For the Dough
Wash the lemon, and zest it. Once you have collected all zest from the lemon, set it aside. Then, cut the lemon into two halves. Set the halves aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the vegetable shortening or butter by hand or with a hand mixer. Once whipped, add in the olive oil.
Next, add in the sugar to the vegetable shortening and olive oil mix. Continue mixing these three ingredients together until the texture is smooth.
Add into the mixture the egg and lemon zest. Squeeze the juice of one of the lemon halves into the mixture.
Continue mixing all ingredients together. Once the mixture is again smooth in texture, add in the dry ingredients including the flour and baking soda. Mix all ingredients together.
Lastly, fold in a ½ cup of almond halves if desired.
For the Cookies
Using a teaspoon or your hands, make small balls with the dough. Place the small dough balls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Press down on each small dough ball to help flatten it before baking.
Bake the cookies for about 15-20 minutes until they turn light brown in color. Allow the cookies to cool before serving, and serve delicately so that they do not crumble!
Calories: 216.71kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.64g | Protein: 1.67g | Fat: 14.94g | Saturated Fat: 6.66g | Cholesterol: 32.59mg | Sodium: 32.21mg | Potassium: 19.13mg | Fiber: 0.37g | Sugar: 10.05g | Vitamin A: 295.52IU | Vitamin C: 0.58mg | Calcium: 5.83mg | Iron: 0.65mg