Pestiños – Traditional Spanish Cookies with a Wine and Cinnamon Flavor

These Pestiños pastries are flavored with citrus, wine and cinnamon.  If you are looking for something special to take to a cookie swap, this recipe will delight the party guests with their delicate texture.

Pestiños are a Spanish cookie from Andalusia and other regions of Southern Spain.  They are often served at Christmas time, but are a popular item for Holy Week too.

I love making cookies this time of the year for cookie swaps.

Another great Christmas cookie recipe is the one for lemon snowball cookies. They bring out the holiday spirit just like these Spanish pestiños cookies do.

The holidays are a time for getting out your more “special recipes” to share with family and friends.  Nothing shows love quite like a sweet treat that you put a bit of extra effort into.

Pestiños aren’t your normal “slice and bake” type of sweet treat. There is a bit of preparation involved but the end result is so worth it.

Making Spanish Pestiños

Pestiños are very easy to make and the ingredients are probably already in your pantry. You will need:

• Riesling wine
• Mediterranean sea salt
• lemon zest
• orange zest
• extra virgin olive oil
• anise seeds
• all-purpose flour
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• coconut oil
• Cinnamon Sugar

Start by combining the lemon and orange zest, salt and Reisling with the olive oil and anise seeds.

Stir in the flour and cinnamon and knead until you get a nice smooth dough.  Roll it out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 2 x 2 inch squares.

Take two opposite corners and press them together in the center. (they will stick better with a bit of water on the join.)

Heat the coconut oil and add the formed pestiños and cook them until they  float to the surface. Flip them when they turn golden brown.

Remove to paper towels to drain and toss in cinnamon sugar.

Why not try to add a bit of Spanish flavor to your Christmas holiday menu selection with some of these Pestiños?

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Yield: 49

Pestiños - Traditional Spanish Cookies with Wine Flavor

Print

These delightful Spanish cookies are flavored with anise and wine for a subtle flavor.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Riesling wine or other good white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon Mediterranean sea salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon anise seeds very finely chopped
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 quart of coconut oil for frying
• 1/4 cup Cinnamon Sugar (combine granulated sugar and cinnamon)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine the Riesling, sea salt, lemon zest and orange zest with the olive oil and the anise seeds.
2. Stir in the flour and cinnamon and knead until you get a smooth dough.
3. Roll dough to a 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured silicone baking sheet.
4. Using a knife, cut the dough into 2 x 2 inch squares.
5. To make the pestinos, take two opposite corners from each square and press them together in the center. You can make them stick with a small amount of water.
6. Heat the coconut oil until the temperature is 375°F.
7. Carefully drop the formed pestiños into the hot oil and allow them to float to the surface.
8. When they are golden brown flip them over. Remove from oil and place on paper towels and toss in cinnamon sugar.

Notes

Recipe adapted slightly from one on Imperial sugar.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

49

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 74Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 22mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

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