Name: Mexican Sprinkle Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 ⅓ cups all purpose flour; ⅔ cup sprinkles; ⅓ cup sugar; ½ cup butter (softened); ½ cup lard (or sub with butter); 1 egg; 2 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp baking soda; 1 tsp vanilla extract

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Those Mexican sprinkle cookies are buttery and crumbly, the perfect easy recipe for treat yourself and your family or friends.

Also know as polvorones con chochitos, or galletas de grageas, Mexican sugar sprinkle cookies are a traditional sweet desert that you can find at any panadería in Mexico.

Mexican sprinkle cookies piled on a plate.

But since they’re so easy to make, I am sharing with you the recipe so you can also enjoy those cookies at home!

My favourite way of eating those Mexican sprinkle cookies is with a hot cup of café de olla (Mexican pot coffee), but you can also make Oatmeal atole to enjoy with those sugar cookies.

Mexican sprinkle cookies on a cooling rack.

Butter, lard, or shortening?

Mexican baking goods are known for being made with manteca (pork lard) since back in the time was more available and cheaper than butter. In modern days, butter and shortening took over and are now used in many recipes.

In Mexico you can find lard at the butchery. Sometimes it has a strong flavor and a tan color, while other times you’ll see it has a more white color and a subtle flavor as well. In other countries, manteca (lard) can be find at the supermarket from different brands. The photo below is one of the brands I can find in Italy.

The decision is up to you. In this recipe for galletas grageas I am using half lard and half butter because that’s what works for me, but feel free to use only butter, or lard if you want to. As for shortening, I honestly don’t like to use it. Is just a personal preference as I think it doesn’t add anything good to foods. You can read more about shortening in this link.

Mexican cookies with sprinkles cut to see the texture inside.

The step by step recipe

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the softened butter and lard in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix until fluffy and creamy.

Add the egg, salt and the vanilla extract, then mix until combined.

Mixed butter and sugar with eggs and vanilla extract on a bowl.

In a separated bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Repeat this step with the remaining flour adding ⅓ at time until you will have a nice cookie dough.

Lightly flour a working surface and roll the dough until it is about 0,2 inch (0,50cm) thick.

Cut the cookies with a 3.5-inch (9cm) cooking cutter. Combine again the dough, roll, and cut more cookies until there’s no dough left.

Cutting the dough with a round cookie cutter.

Now, slightly brush with milk or water a side of a cookie, then coat it in the sprinkles. Gently press the cookie against the sprinkles so they will stick well to the dough.

Repeat with all cookies and place them on the baking sheets.

Bake from 20 to 25 minutes or until Mexican sprinkle cookies are slightly browned. Remove sugar cookies from the oven, place the sheets on the countertop and let them rest for 10 minutes.

Baked sprinkle cookies on a baking sheet.

Finally, transfer Mexican cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool down completely before eating or storing.

Baked Mexican sprinkle cookies on a cooling rack.

How To Store

Mexican sprinkle cookies can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container in your kitchen countertop. I love making those galletas grageas in Christmas season and gift my friends and family!

Make Ahead

Is so easy to make those Mexican sprinkle cookies ahead of time and get ready for the busy season. You just need to make the dough up to 3 months in advance and keep it in the freeze until you will need it.