Mantecados de gofio, an easy Christmas recipe with a Canarian twist

Total: 38 min Diners: 8

It is rare to find a house in Spain that does not celebrate Christmas with mantecados. This traditional sweet dates back to the 16th century and originated thanks to an abundant harvest of wheat and an equal excess of lard or pork fat. We go, without a doubt, to Andalusia to find its cradle and beginning.

Mantecados are very similar to polvorones, but they are not the same, their difference is that the first ones are usually seasoned with different flavors such as lemon, orange, rum or cinnamon. The spices are wonderfully integrated into these little Christmas sweets.

The polvorón always usually has almonds, while the mantecado does not. The mantecado only incorporates flour, lard, sugar and, on this occasion, a bit of gofio de millo. I want to make a tribute to the Canary Islands and I have also achieved a wonderful and very personal flavor that has surprised everyone who has tried them.

That lightly toasted corn flour that in the Canary Islands is widely used for different dishes, here it is incorporated as another element of our recipe and, as a curiosity, it could have been inside from the beginning. These gofio mantecados have to become a basic and classic Christmas sweet in every house and I am surprised that nobody has thought of them yet.

If you want to complement the Christmas menu, a perfect option would be to start with a Christmas consommé with gnocchi, a galets soup or also with some homemade smoked salmon, a prawn and leek pie. As a main course, can you miss some cannelloni like the typical ones in Catalonia? This way we make a Christmas from north to south of the peninsula.

The gofio that I have used comes from the island of La Gomera, from the gofio mill Imendi which is a very personal project of an entrepreneur who left her life for such an autochthonous product and the dream of claiming her own. I think that if I have to choose, gofio is positioned as my favorite Canarian ingredient, very close to palm honey, which I think is wonderful. There are many recipes with gofio perfect to introduce it in our day to day and many other recipes with palm honey that will open us to different flavors.

How to make gofio mantecados for Christmas

. Ingredients

Wheat flour, 500 g Gofio de millo flour, 125 g Lard, 250 g Icing sugar, 250 g Icing sugar, to finish

Step 1

Slightly soften the lard, working it with your hands so that it gains a little temperature or also by introducing it in the microwave with short strokes. We do not want it to melt.

Step 2

If we do not use powdered sugar, crush the sugar very well in a food processor and then sift it, so that it is as powdered as possible. Then mix the lard with the sugar until they are completely integrated. You can do it with your hands, but you will win with a food processor because it will make the task much easier.

Step 3

When that is well mixed, then incorporate the plain flour and mix well again. It is advisable to sift the flour also to make it very smooth. The last thing will be to incorporate the gofio de millo and to mix very well. We will see how at the beginning the dough sticks a lot in the hands and that at the end it is soft and smooth and does not stick hardly. When it is ready, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 4

After this time, stretch with the help of a rolling pin, getting a sheet of about a centimeter and a half, it has to be plump. Make the shapes that everyone wants with a cutter, the best is that the mantecados are round or oval, but I have made them heart-shaped in honor of La Palma.

Step 5

Dispose on a baking sheet on a baking paper and cook at 180 ºC (with the oven always preheated) for 17 minutes so they do not brown. I like them very tender. If you want them browned and crispier you will have to leave them longer.

Step 6

Cool completely before touching, they are very delicate, watch out. Finally sprinkle with powdered sugar.