Mexican Pink Cookies Recipe (Polvorones Rosas)
Mexican Pink Cookies are crunchy sugar cookies that are quick and easy to make. These pretty cookies are great for casual dunking or festive party platters.
Ingredients
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening, butter flavor
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Decorating
5-6 drops pink food coloring gel
⅓ cup sparkling decorating sugar
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line acookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening and granulated sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Gradually, mix in the flour mixture.
Add 5-6 drops of pink food coloring gel and knead by hand or with the mixer until evenly colored.
Use a medium scoop to make 1 ½ tablespoon portions of dough. Roll the portions into 2-inch balls.
Roll each dough ball in the decorating sugar in a small bowl.
Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet, about 2″ apart.
Use the back of a measuring cup or the bottom of a drinking glass to press down evenly on each cookie until the dough is ¼” thick.
Bake cookies, one cookie sheet at a time, for about 11-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Notes
Pink and yellow are the most common colors used for these cookies in Mexican bakeries, however you can make them any color you want.
For an almond flavored cookie, use almond extract instead of one of the teaspoons of vanilla.
Mexican vanilla gives the most authentic flavor, but any type of vanilla can be used.
In my experience, food coloring gel provides the most intense color using the least coloring.
My prefered brand of food coloring gel for color options and intensity of color is Americolor.
These Polvorones Rosas were colored with 6 drops of Americolor Deep Pink.
Packing tips
Wrap stacks of 4-6 cookies in plastic wrap.
Place the wrapped bundles in a column in a freezer weight ziplock bag or stack snuggly in a plastic storage container.
For longer shipping times, vacuum sealing is always the best option, if possible.
