These Spanish shortbreads hail from the southern region of Andalusia and are particularly popular at Christmas time. The name comes from the Spanish word polvo, meaning powder or dust, referring to their crumbly texture – the dough is the crumbliest I’ve ever worked with! They’re popular in Latin America and the Philippines and often called mantecados elsewhere in Spain. Technically polvorónes are just one type of mantecado which refers to any shortbread originally made with pork lard (manteca). In the days of the Spanish Inquisition, eating mantecados was a sign of Christianity, these days people often use butter instead of the lard. To make it more confusing, mantecado can also refer to a type of ice cream in some countries and parts of Spain, so let’s stick with polvorónes! They can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week and I love to nibble one after dinner with a glass of Montevecchio Moscato Frizzante from Chalmers in Victoria or a Spanish hot chocolate (see video below).
Makes 8 pieces
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