Puerto Rican Polvorones

Tupperware cookie container lined with brown parchment paper and full of polvorones on a table with a kitchen towel around the container and some loose cookies in front of it.

5 from 1 vote

Polvorones or Mantecaditos are delicate, buttery, and mildly sweet. These buttery cookies melt in your mouth, crumbling with each bite.

Prep Time35

Cook Time20

Cooling10

Total Time1 5

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings: cookies

Calories: 114kcal

Author: Zoé Forestier

Ingredients

¼ pound butter
½ cup lard or additional stick of butter if not using lard
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 ¼ cups flour
1 oz guava paste optional for decoration
1 oz colored sprinkles optional for decoration
15 Maraschino cherries halved optional for decoration

Instructions

Leave the butter and, if using, the lard on the counter and let it come to room temperature. Lard can take a bit longer to soften, so make sure both are nice and soft before creaming. Harder butter or lard will keep the dough from coming together. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and place the oven rack in the center.
In a bowl, cream the butter. If using lard, cream both the butter and the lard together. Add the sugar and cream until incorporated.
¼ pound butter, ½ cup lard, ½ cup sugar
Add the almond extract or desired flavoring.
1 teaspoon almond extract
Add the flour and mix until combined.
2 ¼ cups flour
When done, the dough will have a sandy consistency, but it will hold its shape when rolled into a ball.
With a small spoon, portion the dough and roll into balls with your hands. I use a #50 scoop, which both portions and shapes the dough. Place each ball on a baking sheet and press an indent into the center with a teaspoon.
Guava paste is the preferred topping for these cookies. I use a very small round biscuit cutter so the guava fits neatly inside the indent. You can also use sprinkles or halved Maraschino cherries.
1 oz guava paste, 1 oz colored sprinkles
Bake for about 20 minutes (oven temperatures vary, so be mindful of the suggested baking time) or until lightly golden around the edges. Transfer to cooling racks and let cool before serving.

Notes

About Lard:

Lard is the traditional ingredient in this recipe and is still used in Spain. I go back and forth between using lard and just butter. I never use vegetable shortening. Why? Because if I have to compare lard to vegetable shortening, the shortening requires stabilizers and manipulation to remain solid, whereas lard is a single-ingredient byproduct with minimal processing. If you are going to buy lard, here are a few tips:

Never buy your lard from the shelf of an aisle in a major grocery store. These shelf-stable products tend to be hydrogenated and linked to trans fats, which we want to avoid.
Please find a local farmer who renders fat from their pigs. Not only will you get a better, fresher product, but you will also be supporting your local community. I buy my lard from a reputable organic farm a few miles from home. The lard is rendered and canned in a mason jar at the farm, then kept refrigerated.
Prevention has a great article on the use of lard and its health benefits.
Beef tallow is harder and crisper than lard. It takes longer to soften and does not behave as creamily as pork lard. If you are planning on using tallow, cut the tallow amount in half and increase the butter ratio.

Expert Tips

Dough won't come together: Add a bit more fat, a tablespoon at a time. Incorporate it and test whether the dough holds its shape.
Keep it simple: Do not overmix. Mix just until combined. Overworking the dough will make the polvorones tough instead of tender.
Dough is too soft to handle: The culprit is usually overly softened or melted butter. Firm the dough in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes before rolling. If it is still too soft, add flour a tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
Uneven browning: Make sure all cookies are the same size and rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking.
Storage: Once cooled, store polvorones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. For longer storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to a month. Let them rest at room temperature for a few minutes before serving to remove the chill and soften the cookie. Polvorones can be frozen in an airtight container for three months.

Nutrition