Mantecaditos are traditional Puerto Rican shortbread cookies that are buttery, crumbly, and often filled with sweet fruit preserves. These cookies are a delightful treat with a cup of coffee or as a dessert for special occasions.
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour. 1 cup unsalted butter, softened. 1/2 cup powdered sugar. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/4 cup fruit preserves guava or pineapple.
Instructions: Warm the oven up to 350F 175C and put parchment paper on a baking sheet. Melt the butter and mix it with the powdered sugar in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix the vanilla extract and salt into the butter mixture until everything is well mixed together. Mix the flour in slowly as you add it to the other ingredients until a soft dough forms. Roll out small pieces of dough into balls that are 1 inch across. You should leave some space between the balls when you put them on the baking sheet that you set up. Make a hole in the middle of each cookie with your thumb or the back of a small spoon. Place a small amount of fruit preserves in each hole. After the oven is hot, bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden. After taking the cookies out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool all the way. You can sprinkle powdered sugar on the cookies once they are completely cool if you want to. With a cup of coffee or tea, these Mantecaditos Puerto Rican Shortbread Cookies taste great!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
ESRC17