A Spanish Guide to Holiday Cookies
Christmas is around the corner and if you’re hosting dinner this year, this blog post about Spanish Christmas cookies is here to save you!
Spain offers a variety of flavorful, mouth-watering cookies that are also easy to bake!
Baking Cookies in Spain
Stay warm this Holiday season by making your favorite hot beverage and accompany it with these delicious Spanish Christmas cookies that you surely can prepare at home with family and friends!
As you check out the recipes that grab your attention from this blog post, you will find that most of them do not involve dairy! And if they do, you can easily substitute it for non-dairy milk. What’s more, several recipes include olive oil, which is also a heart-healthy ingredient.
This is great news if you are looking for low-fat and healthier desserts this year!
Spanish Christmas Cookies
Here are ten different Spanish cookie recipes that will be a hit on Christmas dinner!
1. Mantecados
Probably the most common Spanish Christmas cookies, mantecados are made of lard (la manteca.) They are soft pastries that have amazing texture—they crumble in your mouth! They also can have anise liqueur or vodka with anise extract.
Begin new Christmas traditions by baking these flavorful cookies with your favorite company!
2. Polvorones
These also have butter in their composition, like mantecados and they also include almonds and cinnamon. Their name in Spanish comes from the word “polvo,” which fits the description of how, after taking them out of the oven, they add powdered sugar on top of them. Their texture resembles that of mantecados.
Did you know that these cookies’ original recipe included pork fat? That’s right! Luckily, now pork fat has been replaced by butter or margarine.
Bake these delicious pastries with friends and family these holidays!
Polvorones de coco
With a different touch of dried coconut, los polvorones de coco must be a part of your Christmas dinner!
Polvorones de almendra
Almond Polvorones include roasted almonds and flour and then these powders are added to the dough.
Polvorones de canela
Cinnamon’s strong flavor surely adds a warm and fuzzy flavor to the wonderful polvorones.
Polvorones de limón
Just as soft and crumbly, lemon gives these cookies a fresh touch!
3. Almendrados
Almendrados are just as delicious as they are easy to make! Gather up lemons, eggs, sugar, and almonds and you’re all set!
Their preparation and cooking time is only 25 minutes! In case you forgot to make dessert, these Spanish Christmas cookies are your go-to for emergencies!
4. Alfajores
Alfajores are caramel sandwich cookies! Anise is a typical Spanish ingredient, and it is no exception in these cookies. Once out of the oven, you cover them in syrup and powdered sugar.
The main flavor of these cookies is the dulce de leche (caramel)! What makes these so wonderful is the combination of the crumbly cookie with the sticky sweet taste of dulce de leche.
They are also very common in Argentina and other regions of Latin America!
Have the full Spanish holiday experience by cooking this amazing dessert!
See also: Coffee Tour: Countries in Central America and South America With the Best Coffee
5. Nevaditos
Nevaditos comes from the Spanish word nieve (snow.) They gave these Spanish Christmas cookies such name because they look like snow-capped mountains once they have powdered sugar spread on top.
They have simple ingredients: flour, shortening, sugar, white wine, and salt. Yes! The Spanish love giving their pastries that liquor flavor and it surely makes them special!
Impress your family and friends by baking nevaditos!
6. Peanut Cookies
Are you a fan of the amazing combination of sweet and salty? Get ready to bake these classic Spanish Christmas cookies!
Aside from peanuts, these also have coconut flakes, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and the strong flavor of brown sugar!
Go nuts with the unique flavor of these cookies by baking them at home!
7. Churros
Churros are widely known in Latin America. The Spain-origin delicacies are a must-have during your afternoon coffee!
With the typical stick shape, churros are crispy and just the perfect amount of sweet! With white sugar sprinkled on top of them, you can dip them in chocolate or caramel sauce to add an extra touch of sweetness.
Welcome a new culture into your kitchen with this easy and fun recipe!
8. Spanish Cacao and Olive Oil Sweet Crackers
Their Spanish name is tortas de aceite. Are you vegan and/or gluten-free? Say no more, these are your go-to Spanish Christmas cookies!
I was also a bit surprised to read the odd combination of chocolate with olive oil, but the Spanish assure us that this holiday season will be like no other with this peculiar pastry. They come out of the oven as crispy, thin delights that you can’t have enough of!
Bring over your friends with particular eating tastes and habits and be the star of Christmas dinner cooking tortas de aceite!
9. Churro Biscotti
Yes, probably “biscotti” does not sound so Spanish. But that’s the marvel of cultural blending, isn’t it? Churro biscotti is a combination of Italian cuisine with Spanish flavors!
The perfect pastry to dunk in your coffee or hot chocolate, this one has the classic flavor of a churro and the fancy appearance of biscotti!
They’re crunchy and if you add a touch of cinnamon, get ready for a typical holiday flavor that will make your mouth water.
Show off your baking skills this Christmas!
Fun fact! Did you know that “biscotti” means “twice baked”? It surely was a big discovery for me!
This unique baking step is what gives regular biscotti their signature crunch!
10. Borrachuelos
As we said before, Spanish desserts usually include a touch of liquor in the recipe to add a bitter yet special flavor to afternoon snacks!
Borrachuelo comes from the Spanish word borracho (drunk.) In fact, it would mean something like “little drunk.” Aside from high-quality Spanish wine, these also have olive oil, orange, lemon, and sesame seeds.
To add an extra special texture, borrachuelos also have pumpkin or sweet potato as their stuffing.
Discover new baking abilities and make the best of the upcoming celebrations!
Cooking enthusiast? Check out: 10 Delicious Costa Rican Dishes
Spanish Christmas Cookies Vocabulary
Not only do we want you to show your mad baking skills with your loved ones, but we also want you to have your Spanish-speaking friends over and share special moments these holidays!
Check out these words and phrases to communicate better and have a great time with those around you!
Spanish Cookies Vocab
| English | Spanish |
| almonds | las almendras |
| brown sugar | el azúcar morena |
| chocolate | el chocolate |
| cinnamon | la canela |
| coconut | el coco |
| coffee | el café |
| cookies | las galletas |
| dairy milk | la leche |
| dessert | el postre |
| delicacies | las delicias |
| ingredients | los ingredientes |
Example Sentences in Spanish
Debemos comprar muchas almendras para el postre de este año.
We have to buy tons of almonds for this year’s dessert.
Usaremos coco y almendras en la receta.
We’ll use coconut and almonds in the recipe.
Preparé el postre para el café de la tarde.
I prepared dessert for afternoon coffee.
More Cookie Vocabulary
| English | Spanish |
| lemon | el limón |
| liquor | el licor |
| non-dairy milk | la leche no láctea |
| olive oil | el aceite de oliva |
| pastries | los pastelitos |
| peanuts | los maníes |
| powdered sugar | el azúcar glasé |
| sugar | el azúcar |
| sweet | (algo dulce) |
| to crumble | desmigajarse |
| wine | el vino |
Example Sentences in Spanish
¿Compraste el vino para el postre?
Did you buy wine for dessert?
Tú preparas el chocolate caliente y yo haré los pastelitos.
You prepare hot chocolate and I’ll make the pastries.
Dessert-Related Verbs
Use these awesome verbs to express yourself about baking and holiday cookies!
To Bake – Hornear
Aprendí a hornear con mi abuela.
I learned how to bake with my grandmother.
To Mix – Mezclar
¿Me ayudas a mezclar los ingredientes?
Would you help me mix all the ingredients?
To Take Out (of the Oven) – Sacar del horno
Debo sacar las galletas del horno en 10 minutos.
I have to take the cookies out of the oven in 10 minutes.
To Prepare – Preparar
Preparemos la cena y postre para Navidad.
Let’s prepare dinner and dessert for Christmas.
To Dunk – Hundir (en una bebida)
Los churros son perfectos para hundir en chocolate.
Churros are perfect to dunk in chocolate.
To Spread – Esparcir
Los niños nos ayudarán a esparcir el azúcar glasé.
The kids will help us spread the powdered sugar.
The Wonders of Bilingualism
I speak from experience when I say that being bilingual is life-changing. I have loved the language learning process since I was a kid and it has opened up my mind to new worlds. This experience has allowed me to discover so much about myself and what I am passionate about.
Being bilingual allows you to unravel new cultures, new ways of communicating, and even new travel destinations!
Spanish is such a diverse language and we’re here to help you explore it! HSA offers one-on-one classes with native-Spanish-speaking teachers that will lead the way as you learn about vocabulary, grammar, speaking, and many more skills!
If you want to become a fluent Spanish speaker, be sure to sign up for a free class today! Our programs are perfect for those with busy lives that are looking to expand their horizons and exploit their potential!
Want to learn more about Spain and Latin America? Check out our latest posts!
- Are Bilingual Children More Likely to Experience a Speech or Language Delay?
- Top 10 Places to Visit in Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Learn About Hispanic History: Were Hispanics Slaves?
- Celebrating Culture and Joy: The Magic of Carnival in Spanish-Speaking Countries
- 15 Mouth-Watering National Dishes of Latin America
- 60 Best New Year Quotes in Spanish 2024
- Discovering The Mayan Languages
- The 10 Most Common Spanish Surnames in The U.S
- Christmas Songs and Vocabulary for Kids in Spanish - December 13, 2022
- 100 Sentences With the Spanish Verb Ser - September 1, 2022
- Learn the Shapes (Free Spanish Lessons for Kids) - January 13, 2022
