Biscochitos

I think New Mexico is the only state that has an official state cookie. Or it was the first state, anyway. It's the traditional Spanish biscochito -- an anise flavored butter cookie cut into stars and moons and served at Christmas. It's dusted with cinnamon. They are simply everywhere at this time of year.

Our family has an official family cookie that has been a favorite for decades and it's also an anise cookie, but a shortening based sugar cookie, frosted and decorated. Every year I make them and every year my husband and sons look forward to them. I use extra anise extract, they can't get enough of the flavor.

I've always cut them into Christmas trees and bells and mittens and reindeer, all very New England traditional. This year, I used southwest shapes as a compromise between New Mexico's anise cookie and my anise cookie.

I got cookie cutters in the shapes of a boot, a cowboy hat, a golondrina (swallow), and the square shape of the state. Also a horse. I already had a horse cut out shape.

The state shaped cookie cutter was a disaster, though -- too big, too not square and by the time it was baked and frosted it didn't look like anything plausibly recognizable. It looked like one of those "Pinterest fail" memes. The other shapes came out fine.

I did not mess with my recipe -- no cinnamon, for example, which is the dusting on biscochitos. Mine are iced and sprinkled with colored sanding sugar. And my recipe remains a sugar cookie, not a shortbread butter cookie.

With those differences I can't truly call my cookies biscochitos, but at least I'm making anise cookies in Santa Fe at Christmas and fulfilling both the state's and my family's holiday traditions.

Merry Christmas.
Feliz Navidad.
Have an anise cookie. Or a biscochito.