Mexican Cinnamon Cookies Recipe (Galletas de Canela)
These Mexican Cinnamon Cookies are light, airy, and crisp treats infused with rich vanilla and cinnamon flavors. Resembling traditional shortbread, they achieve a delightful texture by using shortening instead of butter, allowing the warm spice to shine through.
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Equipment
- kitchen scale optional but recommended
- 2 tbsp ice cream/cookie scoop
- rubber spatula
- heat safe mixing bowls
- parchment paper
- mixer with whisk attachment
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ea large egg room temperature
- 1 tbsp mexican vanilla or pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Prepare cinnamon sugar coating in a small bowl by combining ingredients and whisking. Set aside.½ cup sugar, 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- Place shortening in heat safe bowl, and microwave between 15 to 20 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Use rubber spatula to scrape down bowl.1 cup shortening
- Add egg and whisk well.1 ea large egg
- In a separate bowl, sift all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and fine sea salt. Add to wet ingredients.2 ¾ cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Use rubber spatula to fold together.
- Use 2 tablespoon ice cream to scoop dough. Use fingers to gently press dough into scoop, and remove from scoop.
- Place dough into cinnamon sugar and roll to evenly coat entire cookie.
- Place 5 to 6 on baking sheet at least 2" apart. Bake at 350 F for 13 to 14 minutes, or until you see browning along the bottoms. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
- Allow cookies to cool a few minutes before coating in the cinnamon sugar. Coat bottom and top evenly.
Notes
- Kitchen scale is recommended. While I do share the volume measurements, I always will recommend a kitchen scale.
- Measuring Dry Ingredients should always be done using the spoon and level method if you are not using a kitchen scale. Too much flour will quickly cause issues when mixing your dough, and result in a tougher cookie.
- Hot Tip! Microwaving the vegetable shortening for just a few seconds will help make it more pliable when mixing!
- Hot Tip! If the dough is too crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to help bring the dough together. Also, use your hands to help knead the dough until well combined.
- Use 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop to scoop up some dough, and then gently press into the cookie scoop before removing. This will help pull the dough together better and eliminate any air pockets.
- Coat cookie with cinnamon sugar before and after baking. The cinnamon is the true star of this recipe so we really want it to shine. Applying the two coats is what will help to elevate the flavor of the cookie.
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