Champurradas

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 200 gsugar
• 200 gbutter or lard, softened
• 2eggs
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• about 60 ml milk

To finish

• 100 gsesame seeds
• 1egg, beaten, for brushing
• extra sugar, for sprinkling

To serve

• coffee
• or hot chocolate
• or atol

Directions

1. Beat them until pale and fluffy. Give it a good five full minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract to it. Combining it takes a light hand.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add it to the creamed mixture. Mix it in with a wooden spoon. Add the milk only if it will not come together. The dough should be stiff and slightly crumbly.
3. Bring it together with your hands. Resting the dough helps a little. Wrap it and rest it for twenty minutes. Rolling it out takes some effort. Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll each one on a floured surface. Take it down to about four millimetres thick. The thinness helps them dry out and crisp. Keep the surface well floured as you go.
4. Cut out large rounds with a cutter or a bowl. They should be about ten centimetres across. Set them on lined baking trays. Leave a little space between them. Brush each round with the beaten egg. Brush it right out to the edges. Use far more than seems necessary.
5. Press them down gently with your palm. That pressing helps them stick. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top. Prick each round all over with a fork. That pricking stops them puffing up.
6. Heat the oven to 180C before baking. Bake them for about fifteen minutes. They should be golden at the edges. Let one cool completely on a rack. It should break with a clean sharp snap. Return them to the oven for three minutes. Let them cool entirely before storing.
7. Warm cookies in a tin go soft from their own steam. Put the cold cookies in an airtight tin. They keep for two weeks or more.

Technique

• Champurradas are sold in Guatemalan street bread baskets alongside pan dulce and are eaten at breakfast and afternoon coffee.
• They are deliberately hard and dry so they survive being dunked in coffee or hot chocolate.

Substitutions

• Lard in place of butter is traditional in many Guatemalan bakeries.
• The sesame is essential to the identity of the cookie and should not be left out.

Variations

• Some bakeries make a thicker softer version.
• A version with a little cinnamon in the dough is also made.
• Guatemalan pan dulce covers dozens of other bakery breads.

History

A staple of Guatemalan bakeries and street bread baskets, sold alongside pan dulce and eaten at breakfast and afternoon coffee.

Frequently asked questions

What is Champurradas?

Champurradas is a bread & pastry from Guatemala: large flat sesame cookies dunked in coffee or chocolate. A staple of Guatemalan bakeries and street bread baskets, sold alongside pan dulce and eaten at breakfast and afternoon coffee.

How long does Champurradas take to make?

Champurradas takes 30 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 cookies. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Champurradas?

Yes, within limits. Lard in place of butter is traditional in many Guatemalan bakeries. The sesame is essential to the identity of the cookie and should not be left out.