Dessert – Reyna’s Cochitos

(Little Pig Cookies)

Contributed by:

Jude Johnson

(Jude-Johnson.com)

Historical Fiction/Romance

Story behind the recipe –Cochitos (or puerquitos or marranitos, depending on which region of Mexico you’re in) are a whimsical treat; the best cutters give the piggies funny faces. My best friend’s mother has the best one: a pig with big, fat kissy lips! This recipe is a little different than traditional in that my family uses heavier milk or cream and baking powder to make the cookies a little fluffier. In Book Two of my DRAGON & HAWK series, OUT OF FORGOTTEN ASHES, Reyna brings Evan a plate of cochitos but warns him he’ll get fat if he eats too many…

What you’ll need – This recipe makes about 15 large pigs, depending on the size of your cutter, most are about 4” long by 2 ½” tall.

- 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar (firmly packed) , ¼ cup shortening.

- 2 eggs, ¼ cup whole milk or half-and-half.

- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder.

- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract.

- 1 cup molasses, 6 cups all-purpose flour.

Steps to the process

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with Parchment Paper.

- In a large bowl, cream the brown sugar and shortening until light and fluffy.

- Add 1 egg, milk, and vanilla; beat until smooth.

- Stir in baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and molasses.

- Add flour; mix together until dough is fairly stiff.

- Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

- Roll dough on lightly floured surface to ¼ inch thickness and cut with pig-shaped cutter.

- Place on papered cookie sheets about 2” apart.

- Beat the remaining egg and brush across the top of each cookie with a pastry brush.

- Bake for 15-17 minutes until center of pig looks glazed and edges are lightly browned.

Comments - These are delicious with strong coffee for breakfast.

Blurb from OUT OF FORGOTTEN ASHES - Evan Jones thinks his troubles are over in 1886. He’s married his love, the Mexican healer Reyna, and started horse ranching outside of Tombstone in the Arizona Territory. But tragedy strikes when least expected to nearly tear their union apart. Evan and Reyna soon face more than one phoenix rising from forgotten ashes of his past that threaten dire--and possibly deadly--consequences.

Novels available from author – Excerpts and reviews available at Jude-Johnson.com:

 Dragon & Hawk: “Cultures collide and sparks fly as a Welshman begins a new life in a new land.”

 Out of Forgotten Ashes: “Sometimes a man’s past resurges like a vengeful phoenix rising from

 forgotten ashes.”