Mantecados
In Fearful Breakers, José and his family enjoy these cookies at their Nochebuena feast in Matanzas, just as people do today in Spain.
This Spanish recipe, a reflection of Abuelo’s heritage, and makes a simple shortbread with a delicate lemon flavor. Mantecados derive their name from the word for lard, manteca, although this recipe uses butter. Today in Cuba mantecado refers to a type of vanilla ice cream.
1 cup (2 sticks) of sweet butter, softened
½ cup light olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 lemon peel, grated
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 325⁰
Cream the butter in a large bowl, then add the olive oil. Cream in the sugar until smooth.
Mix in the egg, grated lemon, and lemon juice.
Whisk together the flour and baking soda in a separate bowl, then gradually add the butter mixture. Don’t overmix lest you toughen the dough.
Fill a small bowl with flour. Flour your hands, then take a teaspoon’s worth of dough, dunk it in the flour, then roll it into a ball. Place it on a greased cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass until it ¼” thin. Place 1” apart.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until brown around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.
Directions
