I have a confession: I am completely smitten with Spanish cookies right now. They’re a welcome switch from my usual chocolate chip routine, and I’ve gathered 14 of the best, easiest recipes for you to fall in love with too.
Think crumbly, tender, citrusy, and cinnamon kissed treats that feel like a little getaway. Ready to shake up your cookie jar? Here are the recipes I've been loving.
1. Spanish Churros
Churros are Spain’s answer to donuts, and oh my goodness, are they popular for a reason. These crisp and tender treats are made from a sweet batter shaped into sticks and fried to golden perfection. I love them for an afternoon snack, breakfast, dessert… honestly, there’s no wrong time for churros.
2. Polvorones De Limon
Polvorones de limon are soft, buttery cookies with a crumbly bite, all infused with lemon. That
3. Almendrados (Spanish Almond Cookies)
Spanish desserts do almonds so well, and these almendrados are light, soft, and just bursting with that nutty goodness. I can’t get over how you only need four simple ingredients: sugar, eggs, lemon, and almonds, yet the flavor is absolutely top notch.
They have this lovely chewy texture that honestly reminds me of a macaron. The secret is whipping those egg whites to stiff peaks!
4. Polvorones de Coco
Polvorones de coco are super soft and flavorful shortbread cookies with almond and toasted coconut running through every bite. If you’ve never paired chocolate and coconut together, this is your sign; the combination is absolutely terrific. I love that these polvorones are no bake: you simply toast the flour and stir it with milk, sugar, butter, and your flavorings.
5. Polvorones de Canele (Cinnamon Cookies)
Polvorones de canele are a cinnamon spiced twist on classic polvorones with a wonderfully cozy flavor. These melt in your mouth cookies are fantastic on their own, but that hit of warm cinnamon takes them into glorious territory. It’s like a shortbread and a snickerdoodle came together, and my heart is so full.
6. Marquesas
Marquesas are cupcake shaped cookies that are insanely soft, moist, and infused with lemon. They are so flavorful and addictive, I promise you won’t be able to stop at just one. Best of all, they come together from the most basic ingredients: eggs, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almonds.
7. Polvorones
Polvorones might just be the most iconic Spanish cookie out there. They’re a huge Christmas favorite, and for good reason: they’re sweet, milky, and so crumbly and tender you’ll be reaching for another before you even finish the first. Their name comes from “polvo,” meaning powder, which perfectly captures that soft, powdery texture.
8. Borrachuelo
Borrachuelo comes from the Spanish word “borracho,” which means drunk, and yes, these cookies are boozy little bites! The biscuits are flavored with olive oil, wine, orange, lemon, fennel, and sesame seeds, which already sounds amazing. But it gets even better: they’re stuffed with a sweet pumpkin or sweet potato mixture and dipped in honey and powdered sugar.
9. Churro Biscotti
Biscotti may be an Italian classic, but this recipe gives it a delicious Spanish twist. The crisp cookies are baked to perfection and coated in a generous layer of cinnamon sugar. All you need is a side of sweet dulce de leche for dipping, and your churro biscotti experience is complete.
10. Spanish Cacao and Olive Oil Sweet Crackers
Also known as tortas de aceite, these sweet little crackers are flavored with chocolate and olive oil. The combination may sound a bit unusual, but wow, does it work. They’re crisp and sweet, and downright delicious.
11. Nevaditos (Spanish Powdered Sugar Cookies)
Nevaditos, also called nevados, get their name from the Spanish word for snow capped mountains, and they really do look like little snowy peaks all covered in powdered sugar. These traditional cookies are just as popular at Christmas as polvorones and mantecados, and their snowy look instantly puts me in a cozy holiday mood. They're simple and sweet, and so charming.
12. Alfajores Recipe (Dulce de Leche Cookies)
Alfajores are made of two melt in your mouth cookies sandwiching a luscious caramel or dulce de leche filling, and they are to die for. They’re beloved in Spain and all over Latin America, and with that outstanding flavor and texture, I completely understand why. Trust me, once you’ve tried these sandwich cookies, you’ll want them in your life forever.
13. Mantecados
Mantecados are classic Spanish shortbread cookies that traditionally show up around the holidays, but honestly, they’re so easy and irresistible I’d make them any day of the year. The name comes from “manteca,” meaning fat, which gives them that iconic crumbly, melt in your mouth consistency. No need for pork fat here; vegetable shortening does the job beautifully.
14. Spanish Peanut Cookies
Spanish peanut cookies deliver the most incredible sweet and salty combo, and I am here for it. They’re loaded with peanuts, coconut flakes, oatmeal, and chocolate chips, basically every single thing you could want in a cookie. Brown sugar brings a deep, intense flavor that makes them ridiculously good.