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1
Cream the lard and sugar
5 minutes
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Beat the soft lard with 120 g of the sugar in a large bowl until pale, smooth and fluffy — about 3 minutes with a wooden spoon or 2 minutes with a hand mixer. Stop as soon as it looks creamy; over-beating warms the lard and makes the dough greasy.
The mixture should look almost white and hold soft peaks.
Done when: Pale, smooth and fluffy, with no grainy sugar visible.
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2
Add the yolks, vanilla and lemon
2 minutes
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then the vanilla extract and lemon zest, until the mixture is evenly golden and smooth.
Add the second yolk only after the first has disappeared, or the mixture can split.
Done when: Evenly golden, smooth and glossy.
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3
Mix in the flour
3 minutes
No heat — room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt over the bowl and stir with a spoon, then your hands, just until a soft, crumbly dough comes together. Do not knead — the dough should feel like damp sand that holds when squeezed.
If the dough feels dry, press it together with your palms; if it feels sticky, chill it for 10 minutes.
Done when: A soft dough that holds together when squeezed but still looks crumbly.
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4
Shape the cookies
10 minutes
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
Pinch off pieces of dough about 25 g each and roll them gently into balls, then flatten each one to a round about 5 cm across and 1 cm thick. Set them 3 cm apart on the lined trays — you should have 24 cookies.
Handle the dough as little as possible; warm hands melt the lard and make the cookies spread.
Done when: 24 even rounds, about 5 cm across, with smooth edges.
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5
Bake until pale gold
13-15 minutes
175°C (350°F)
Bake one tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 13–15 minutes, until the edges are just turning pale gold and the tops look set and dry. The cookies stay pale — do not wait for them to brown.
Lard cookies burn fast at the edges, so check at 12 minutes.
Done when: Edges pale gold, tops set and dry, cookies still pale in the middle.
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6
Dust with cinnamon sugar
5 minutes
Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)
While the cookies are still warm, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar generously over each one, then leave them on the tray for 10 minutes to firm up before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
Dust while warm so the sugar sticks; cold cookies will not hold it.
Done when: Each cookie evenly dusted, firm enough to lift without breaking.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the mantecados at room temperature with coffee or hot chocolate. They keep their crumbly texture for days and taste even better the next day, once the cinnamon sugar has settled into the surface.
Cuba
3h
