Mantecaditos

5 from 7 votes

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.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast, Desserts

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings: cookies

Calories: 131kcal

Author: Catherine Arena

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!

Notes

Recipe Notes:

Salt: If you are using salted butter do not add the ½ teaspoon of salt, instead simply add a pinch of salt.

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.

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.

Nutrition