Above: This classic recipe appears in The Best from New Mexico Kitchens. Photograph by Douglas Merriam. 

SOMETIMES SPELLED BISCOCHITO, this spicy, crumbly standard of excellence holds the distinction of being New Mexico’s official state cookie. This classic recipe appears in The Best from New Mexico Kitchens, a book originally published by New Mexico Magazine in 1978 and reissued in 2017 by the University of New Mexico Press. Hint: It makes a great gift.

6 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 pound (2 cups) lard

1½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons aniseed

2 eggs

¼ cup brandy

¼ cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Sift flour with baking powder and salt.

  2. Cream lard with 1½ cups sugar and aniseed until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in flour and brandy until well blended.

  3. Turn dough out on floured board and pat or roll to ¼- or ½-inch thickness.

  4. Cut into shapes. (The fleur-de-lis is traditional.)

  5. Dust with cinnamon sugar. Bake 10 minutes at 350° or until browned.

ADVICE FROM THE ABUELAS

We asked two Santa Fe–based grandmas—and expert bizcochito bakers—for some tips.