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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 made these during the great stay at home of 2020 since I was craving piggies and could not go to a store. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand so gave them a shot. They came out perfect! My craving was satisfied and the entire family loved them. I am adding this recipe to my favorites. Thanks for sharing!
Can I use piloncillo in place of the brown sugar and molasses? Would I need to change the recipe any?
I’ve never tested this recipe with piloncillo, so I can’t say for sure. If you do try it with piloncillo, let me know how it turns out!
I’ve made these twice now since February! My husband’s family is originally from San Antonio, now living in Florida. They vouch that these are exactly like the little piggies they remember. Thanks for the recipe….and the memories for them!
SOS!!! My dough is too sticky! It won’t roll!
Sincerely,
A sad Latina 😭
The dough does taste good though 😅😅😅
To retain the soft texture for more than a day or two, try storing in a cookie tin. Mine try to stick their snouts in my coffee, so I have to punish them by sentencing them to a short term in the toaster, which brings them nicely back to life (so to speak) if not left there too long.
By the way, do you know where the name for these cookies comes from? During the Spanish Inquisition, Jews and Moslems were forced to leave Spain (and Portugal) or convert to Christianity (that is, Catholicism) under penalty of death. Those who converted typically used the polite term, “conversos”; but Moslems who converted were known as Morriscos, Jews as Marranos. These were both pejorative terms, especially as Jewish and Moslem dietary laws forbade eating pork. However, many converts retained their old beliefs; in fact, the reason for the Inquisition was to uncover and persecute these “false converts”.
The happy ending to this story is that, to fool the inquisitors by appearing to revel in the consumption of all things piggy while not actually consuming carne de cerdo, some people baked little pig cookies: marranitos!
That is very interesting. I always wondered why they were shaped as pigs. Thank you for that piece of history that continues even today. It’s like lost knowledge.
Also, great recipe!
Followed the exact recipe & used a Texas shaped cookie cutter, called them “Tejanitos”. They were delicious, soft, beautiful! Everyone loved them! I will definitely make these again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Amazing recipe, had flower cutters so I decreased cooking till to 8 mins. Soft and perfect. Thank you
I love that! Now I want to make some with flower cutters, haha. Perfect for Spring! Thanks, Trisha. So happy you liked the recipe.
Quick question
Can I replace bread flour for the ap flour?
Hi Laura, I’ve never tested this recipe with bread flour so I’m not quite sure if the end result would be exactly the same. I did a quick Google search and it seems like it should work, but since I’ve never tested it, I’m not sure. I say it’s worth a try! All the flavors will still be there so I’m sure it’ll be delicious 🙂 Let me know how it turns out!
I’ve made these several times now and they are always a hit! I follow the recipe exactly and they always turn out great. I make them “mini” size, about 2-1/2″, everyone loves them. Would love to leave a picture but I don’t see that option here.
Thank you, Coleen! So happy you love them 🙂 Unfortunately there’s no way to leave a photo in the comments, but you can tag me on Instagram if you’re on there!
I NEVER EVER EVER leave a comment on recipes, not that I don’t want to I just genuinely forget to, but I HAD to on this one!!! Y’all … I can’t even describe how good these marranitos are!!!
I’m from Houston, TX and a 2nd generation Mexican American so needless to say that my family and I know our Mexican foods and are VERY picky and particular about our food and these were so delicious that my Abuelo thought I had bought these at the Panderia or something! Lol. I did NOT change the recipe in any way at all. I followed it step by step to the T and it came out great! We all loved that they are so soft unlike the ones from Mi Tienda, Arandas, Fiesta, etc. Any place that sells them and they get hard and snap after a few days. They are supposed to be softer than a cookie and harder than cake for people saying that. But these stay soft (for marranitos) and delicious for up to a week! I made 2 batches for Christmas and they went so fast I had to make more for New Years with Menudo and they went fast again, and now my family is calling me non stop asking for them! Great recipe and I’m so glad that I found it!
Thank you so much, Angie! So happy you loved the recipe! They’re one of my favorite things to make because they’re so good and so cute!
I never understood the pig shape? An unusual shape for a cookie, can someone shed some light on this? What’s the story behind one of my favorite cookies.
Thank you!