THINGS TO KNOW…

POLVORON BY PILAR PRAENA AND ANA MARIA GARCIA

INGREDIENTS AND HISTORY

• 2 cups unbleached

white flour • 2 2\3 cup ice sugar • 2\3 cup lard • Ice sugar

Polvorones are popular holiday delicacies in all Spain and ex-Spanish colonies in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Traditionally they were prepared from September to January but are now available all year round. Was introduced by the Arabs, during the Spanish Inquisition, it was later decreed by the officials of the Inquisition that polvorones were to be made using pork fat as a means of detecting secret Jews and Muslims within the Southern Spanish regions.

S P A N I S H C R I S T M A S F O O D

Rich, crumbly "polvorones" or "Dusty" Almond Cookies are a delicious cookie, especially popular in Spain during the Christmas season.

Prep Time: 1h 40 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minute

Total Time: 2 hours

HOW TO DO

This polvorones or Spanish almond cookie recipe makes approximately 12 or 16 polvorones: • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure and pour flour out onto a

cookie sheet. Place in oven and "toast" the flour. Occasionally move the flour around on the sheet, so that it toasts evenly.

• Toasted flour mix with the icing icing sugar and lard, is best done with fingers and is more fun !!. The mixture will be perfect when you separate from your fingers, if you want you can use a little more flour. Make a ball putting it in a freezer bag and let stand 30 minutes in the fridge.

• Once spent time resting, remove from the refrigerator and work it a little with some flour, roll out the dough until it has a height of approximately a finger.

• Cut the shortbread with short pasta, use a small spatula to carefully move the cookies to a cookie sheet for baking because the dough is very dry and flakey and leave in the fridge again for another 30 minutes.

• After this, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes to heat up and down, remove them from the oven and cool completely.

• To finish decorated with icing sugar.