Recipe: Biscoitos (Portuguese Cookies)


These Portuguese cookies are easy and fun to make with little hands helping in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Cookie

  • 300 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 150 g (about 11 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
  • 150 g (about ¾ cup) granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Dash of salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon water

Chocolate Drizzle (optional)

  • 2 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions

  1. Sift all dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
  4. Add flour mixture, in three parts, and mix until combined. 
  5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment.
  7. Roll a tablespoon-sized ball of dough into a 5-inch long rope (if the dough is sticking, put a little butter on your hands and the counter). Fold the rope and connect the ends, so it forms a sort of teardrop shape. Repeat with remaining dough. 
  8. Once all cookies are shaped, allow to cool for at least 20 minutes in the fridge before baking.
  9. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bottoms of biscoitos are just turning golden brown, rotating the pans about halfway through. Let biscoitos cool on pans for 5 minutes before moving to a baking rack to completely cool. 
  10. Once cookies are cool, make the icing by whisking together sugar and salt. Add vanilla and water. If needed, add a little more water, ½ tsp at a time until the icing is a thick, pourable consistency. Drizzle icing on top of biscoitos in criss-cross decorative manner or to your preference. 
  11. Once the icing has hardened a little, drizzle biscoitos with melted chocolate.

Makes about 24 cookies

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These cookies can also be decorated as festive wreaths!


5 comments


  • Elizebett

    Thank you so much, Maria! I’m delighted to hear your daughter and the twins love the book, and that it will get a lot of love and use in their house. That’s wonderful! And, so glad you all will be baking the recipe, too! :)


  • Maria Teixeira

    My daughter received the ABC book for her twins and loves it because of the colorful pictures (they’re only 3mos old) and the English/ Portuguese words which are great for her husband to also learn as he reads to the babies. Thank you for the note you included and recipe which we both will be baking.
    Obrigada


  • Elizebett

    Thank you for the kind words, Manuel! So glad to hear how much you’re enjoying the book. Yay!


  • manuel l sousa

    i just received your baking abc English / Portuguese I am going to share with my grand boys born in USA and there mother also born in USA my wife and I her parents born in Terceira Serreta/Casa da Ribeira living in California I now am waiting for you to add another book with a little extra all vegetables to include couves and meats other equipment like refrigerators, freezers all common house furniture etc. you di an incredible job on your book and it makes me pround that our portuguese are sharing there knowledge of cooking and language, Elizabett i am looking forward to that next book whwn your M grows up he will also be ready to move on to the next level of learning
    super proud of you Manuel


  • manuel l sousa

    i just received your baking abc English / Portuguese I am going to share with my grand boys born in USA and there mother also born in USA my wife and I her parents born in Terceira Serreta/Casa da Ribeira living in California I now am waiting for you to add another book with a little extra all vegetables to include couves and meats other equipment like refrigerators, freezers all common house furniture etc. you di an incredible job on your book and it makes me pround that our portuguese are sharing there knowledge of cooking and language, Elizabett i am looking forward to that next book whwn your M grows up he will also be ready to move on to the next level of learning
    super proud of you Manuel


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