Orange Flavored Shortbreads (Polvorones de naranja)
It is said that the tradition for making these shortbreads initially came from Spain, and the recipe for these was carried over to the hispanic colonies after; not surprizingly polvorones are widely enjoyed in Mexico, often at special events.
The orange polvorones cookies recipe
Ingredients:
* 4 cups [500 g] white all purpose flour
* 1 and 1/4 cups lard, softened
* 2 egg yolks
* 3/4 cup [150 g] Granulated Sugar
* 2 teaspoons of baking powder
* 1 orange, its grated zest and juice
* Icing Sugar
Preparation:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F [180 °C], and grease a cookie baking sheet.
2) Sift the flour, mixing it with the baking powder in a large bowl and form a well at its the center of this mixture.
3) With an electric mixer, beat the butter together with the yolks in a bowl until you get a smooth consistency. Add sugar, grated orange zest and the orange juice. Beat until everything is uniformly combined.
4) Pour this mixture into the well of the flour, then mix well to make sure all ingredients are smoothly combined together, and knead to get a dough texture. Fomra pellets with small portions of dough and marks a cross with a knife in each.
5) Bake until the polvorones have browned, 15 to 30 minutes as needed. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the icing sugar.
