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Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!
Is this real life?! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d learn how to make a batch of Marranitos (these little Mexican gingerbread pigs), let alone share them online. But here I am, sharing one of my favorite childhood Mexican treats like it’s no big deal. Who am I kidding – I’m nearly 30 years old, and these are still one of my favorite Mexican sweet breads! Let me explain.
- they’re shaped like little piggly wigglys. that right there is enough to put them in my top five.
- they’re somewhere between a cookie and a cake. they’re not hard, but not totally soft either. best of both worlds.
- they’re not too sweet, which makes them perfect for dunking in a glass of milk or coffee on weekend mornings.
- did I mention they’re shaped like little pigs? okay, just checking.
If I could only pick one recipe to remind me of my childhood, it would be this one. I’ve probably said that about other recipes before, but I really (really, really) mean it this time. I grew up eating marranitos, or cochinitos as my family called them. I’ve also heard them called puerquitos, but they all mean the same thing – just different Spanish words for “little pigs”.
Mexican Pan Dulce
My family used to pick up a big bag of pan dulce, or sweet bread, at the local Mexican bakery every weekend to eat for breakfast or dessert, and the only bread I’d ever reach for was the marranito.
They’re the perfect mix of rich molasses flavor with a hint of sweetness that’s satisfying and filling. Unlike other Mexican sweet breads that never really hit the spot (I’m looking at you, conchas), marranitos always seem to do the trick.
Ingredients and tools you’ll need
Making these little Mexican gingerbread pigs is much easier than most people think! Aside from the usual baking ingredients like flour, butter, eggs, and the like, you’ll need some dark brown sugar, milk, a bit of ground ginger, and some unsulfured molasses. All are ingredients you can find at most grocery stores, so the actual recipe ingredients should be very easy to find.
However, my favorite thing about this recipe – the cute little pig shapes – is something you’ll probably have to order online. Here’s the pig cookie cutter I have. It’s smaller than the size of the marranitos you’ll find in a Mexican bakery, but it’s a normal size for homemade pan dulce.
I have no kids, so I have no firsthand experience in this department, but I imagine this would be a fun baking project for the little ones. At least I certainly enjoyed making these. What’s more fun than stamping out little piggies with a cookie cutter?!
This recipe has been a huge hit in my house. Between John and I, we’ve eaten all but 3 of these gingerbread pigs, and I’m definitely not sorry about it. It’s been cold and has even snowed here already, so we’ve been dunking these marranitos in some Mexican hot chocolate.
Slowly but surely, I’m getting in the holiday spirit and am so excited that this will be the first year John and I spend Christmas together. We’ve been together for about 8 years, and this is our first Christmas together! How nuts is that?
I’ve always gone to OKC to spend the holiday with family, and John’s always gone to central PA to do the same. Since we got married in May, we thought it’d be best to take turns every year and switch off Thanksgiving and Christmas. So this year, Christmas will be with my family, and next year it will be with his.
I must admit, having our families be so far apart is definitely a challenge, but we’re making it work. It’s just one of many challenges I’m sure we’ll run into as a married couple, but that’s what it’s all about, right? All because of a little four-letter word – love. 🙂
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, divided
- ¾ cup unsulfured molasses
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the dark brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add in one egg, molasses, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
- In a separate large bowl, add the flour, ginger, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk together to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix until well combined. The dough should cleanly pull away from the mixing bowl.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to ⅜-inch thickness (or a little less than ½-inch).
- Use a pig shaped cookie cutter to cut the dough into pigs. Place the pigs 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- In a small bowl, crack open the remaining egg and whisk. Brush the beaten egg over the tops of the pigs using a pastry brush.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I know that I’ve posted a review before but I absolutely adore this recipe. Though my dough always sticks to the bowl pretty badly lol. If anyone else has this issue, what works for me is to add flour a tablespoon or two at a time, if it still sticks, then use a spatula to scrape it into a ball, then put it on parchment paper and fold a bit more flour (2 tablespoons at a time) into the dough or sprinkle the flour and just roll it out. As long as the dough isn’t too wet, it will cut and bake just fine! This time, we used a shooting star (Christmas star, lol), wrapped candy, and race car cookie cutters! I added a bit of all spice seasoning and extra cinnamon. Can’t wait to eat these with some Abuela’s hot chocolate!!
Thank you so much for sharing Jeanette!
You’re welcome Isabel. I just moved to a higher altitude and it has caused some trouble with my baking endeavors, lol. It’s also less humid which has caused interesting interactions as well. I love these marranitos so much that I will happily share my tips to better help everyone be successful. I’ve also found that for me, making them just a bit thicker helps them reheat wonderfully after freezing them. Not that they last long enough in my house to make it to the freezer anymore lol. Doubled the recipe last time and they lasted 4 days. This time I’ll double it twice lol. Definitely have your page saved to the top of my favorites to make accessing this recipe easier 😅.
I would give this recipe 10 stats if I could. Absolutely amazing. I send these to Gonzalez family in SoCal because Grandpa like these better than from their local bakery. These have also made it to Ohio in the winter so my best friend can have them with her morning coffee.
lmade marranito cookies. lve made 4 batches and this time the dough was dry. what did I do wrong. how do l fix the dough
Hi Kathy! You can add more milk about 1 tbsp at a time until the dough is no longer dry.
Yes my family loves them also bought the piggy cookie cutter ☺☺ Thank you so much
Thank you I had a great time making them with my granddaughter. They came out so Delicious! 😋
These are the best!! I no longer like the ones sold at stores! BUT, one question, why do they get hard the next day 🙁 they’re good putting them in the microwave but I want to sell them so I don’t want them getting hard 🙁
Hi Mari! Have you tried storing them in an airtight container? You can also try lightly wrapping them in a kitchen towel and then placing them in a container.
Thank you. I made it again and that worked! They’re so yummy. Also, if I make them a day before and the next day I put them in the oven, will the texture or taste change at all?
No problem! Do you mean bake them and then put them in the oven again, or place the uncooked and shaped dough in the fridge and then bake them the next day?
Made these last night and they are FANTASTIC. Recipe was easy to follow and they turned out perfect. I gifted some to my Mexican friend too and they were impressed… That’s the greatest praise I could ever wish for! 🙂 Only thing I changed was adding a pinch of salt to the dry ingredients – I can’t bake without a pinch of salt!
Hi Beka! We’re glad these turned out well and that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Isa! They were such a hit!! Las hise por dia de Los Reyes Magos! I have a really good friend who needs them gluten free! Do you think it would alter any of the structure of the maranitos? Gracias por todas las recitas deliciosas!! How is your family, especially La Reina?? Happy New Year, God bless
Hi Linda! We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe! If you made them gluten free, I think they should still turn out well!
Thank you for this recipe! I made them to give as part of gift baskets this Christmas and they were such a hit. Of course there were extras at the house so we had to indulge. Yum! They are delicious on their own but absolutely glorious dunked in coffee. They were not too sweet or gingery. The recipe was easy and all ingredients were on hand or easy to find.
Thank you so much, Anna!
Everyone loved this recipe. I tried to double the recipe. One at a time was better for cutting shapes. I used the kitchen aid mixer