Traditional and delicious, anise mantecados are a typically Canarian sweet, where it is common to enjoy them accompanied with a glass of anise liqueur.
It is quite likely that, on occasion or other, you have already tried ice cream. It basically consists of a wonderful popular sweet, typical of the confectionery of our country (Spain), which can be enjoyed throughout the year, although it is true that they are traditional for Christmas (you can learn more about Christmas mantecados in our traditional recipe).
Traditionally it is a kneaded sweet made with flour, lard and sugar, to which some type of essence or spice is usually added, which is cooked in the oven. Although it can also be made without using lard.
It can be confused with polvorón, which is nothing more than a kind of mantecado, in which the flours have been previously toasted before being prepared, has a shorter baking time and tends to crumble when we touch it.
Among the more traditional mantecados, there is no doubt that anise mantecado becomes a typical option in some places in our country, such as the Canary Islands, where it is commonly consumed with a glass of anise liqueur. .
Ingredients
- 1 kg of flour
- 1 kg of butter
- 500g sugar
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons of milk
- 20 dl of anise liqueur
- Powdered sugar
Preparation: how to make anise mantecados?
- First, preheat the oven to a temperature of 180 ºC.
- In a large bowl put the flour, the butter at room temperature, the sugar, the two eggs and the 20 dl of anise liqueur. Join and mix all the ingredients, until they are well integrated.
- On a previously floured surface, place the dough and spread it well with the help of a rolling pin. You should get a sheet of dough with a thickness of no less than 1 centimeter.
- Cut the dough with the edge of a small glass, to give them the typical shape of mantecados.
- Put greaseproof paper on the cookie sheet. Transfer the shortbreads to the tray and leave them covered for a few minutes with a kitchen towel, to remove the moisture.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with the three tablespoons of milk. Paint the mantecados on top with the help of a brush.
- Put the tray with the mantecados in the oven and cook at 180ºC for 15-20 minutes, until they are lightly browned on top. To finish, remove them from the oven and, when cool, remove them from the baking sheet.
- To finish, if you wish, you can sprinkle a little icing sugar on top.
Remember that mantecados are very fragile, especially when they are still hot after being cooked in the oven. Therefore, it is best to remove them from the oven tray when they are perfectly cold.