These Puerto Rican Mantecaditos are soft, buttery shortbread cookies, topped with a pop of guava and are the cookies everyone will love. They’re easy to make and utterly delicious.
Puerto Rican desserts always remind of moments with my family and holiday family gatherings. All the delicious food and so many delicious treats. Of course, every dessert had its own special place in my heart. We’d always have quesitos (cream cheese puff pastries), with their creamy filling and flaky crust, an assortment of flans like flan de coco (coconut flan), empanadillas de guayaba (guava empanadas) bursting with sweet guava, and pastelillos de guayaba (guava pastries) that disappeared the moment they hit the table.
And then of course, there were mantecaditos, buttery, melt in your mouth cookies topped with guava, cherry or sprinkles. Every time I bake these, I’m instantly brought back to those sweet unforgettable moments.
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Why We Love this Recipe
- Quick and Easy – These yummy cookies use simple ingredients and are easy to make. You can have a batch of these buttery morsels ready in no time!
- Melt in Your Mouth – They’re buttery, crumbly and so good, you will definitely have more than one and make this recipe again and again.
- Perfect for Any Occasion – Whether you baking them to satisfy a sweet craving, sharing them at a gathering, or adding them to your holiday spread, these are perfect.
- Love Guava – If you love guava, these are the perfect cookie recipe for you.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt*
Toppings
- guava paste
- sprinkles
- sugar crystals
- flavored jellies
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Toppings The common toppings for these cookies are guava, sprinkles or cherries but you can certainly try other toppings like strawberry jam, raspberry, or dulce de leche for other yummy alternatives.
- Sprinkles – Use holiday themed colored sprinkles to make them festive for special ocassions or match the colors to your celebration.
- Flavor – Swap the vanilla extract for almond or coconut extract.
- Sweetness – If you like, skip the topping all together for a simple, buttery cookie that’s just as delicious!
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, and sugar. Using a hand mixer, mix until it’s light and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix. Then gradually add the flour, a little at a time, mixing as you go until the dough comes together.
Step 3: Form the dough into small balls and place on the baking sheet.
Lightly press your thumb into the center of each cookie to create a thumbprint.
Step 4: Fill each cookie with guava, sprinkles or a marachino cherry.
Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Chill the Dough: If the dough feels too soft and sticky, chill it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before shaping the cookies. This helps to form the cookies easier.
- Even Size: To ensure even baking, use a cookie scoop to divide the dough into even circles and helps each cookie bake at the same rate.
- Watch the Baking Time: Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the cookies during the last few minutes of baking. Once the edges are golden, they’re ready even if they don’t look fully cooked through. They will harden once cooled.
Recipe FAQs
Using both gives the cookies the right texture.
Yes! You can prepare the dough up to two days in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
If the dough is too warm, it may spread more than normal when they bake. Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking to help them retain their shape and size.
You can freeze the dough and let it thaw out a little before forming the cookies and topping. Then proceed with the baking steps.
Store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh for up to 5 days.
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📖 Recipe
Mantecaditos
Equipment
- hand mixer not completely necessary but will make mixing much easier
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract or half each of both
- ½ teaspoon salt*
Toppings
- colored sprinkles, guava paste, marachino cherries, or colored sugar sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, shortening, and sugar. Using a hand mixer, mix until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix. Then gradually add the flour, a little at a time, mixing as you go until the dough comes together.
- Form the dough into small balls and place on the baking sheet.
- Lightly press your thumb into the center of each cookie to create a thumbprint.
- Fill each cookie with guava, sprinkles or a drained marachino cherry.
- Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Gabriella Vega says
Hi, just made with only butter and they came out delicious!
Can the dough be made in advance?
Which goes with my next question, is it okay to chill the dough?
Thank you!
Catherine Arena says
Glad you enjoyed these! Absolutely you can make the dough in advance as well as chill it! Hope that helps, thank you for trying our recipe!
Julie Zimmerman says
We added these to our cookie bake off for the holidays. They turned out great! Thanks for sharing!
Cathy says
Great to hear Julie!
Tonje says
I had never heard of these cookies, but I love how easy they were and how tasty the result was. I did mine with caramel, and it was amazing!
Cathy says
Caramel is delish! Great to hear you really enjoyed them!
Beth says
I need this recipe in my life right now! Fuss free is a great way to enjoy the holidays and these delicious cookies are just perfect to make that happen!
Cathy says
Haha! Exactly Beth!
Anita says
Shortbread cookies are one of my favorite cookies. And thanks for introducing that guava paste. I’ve eaten the fruit plenty of time, but didn’t know there’s a paste made from it. 🙂
Cathy says
Oh and it’s soo soo good Anita! You will especially love it in these cookies too!
Shanika says
These cookies look like they just melt in your mouth! YUM!
Cathy says
Thanks Shanika! And they do! They’re so good!