Easy Pinch Cookies

We were craving an old simple favourite of ours, with a cup of coffee, so we cracked open the book of traditions Nelson’s mom wrote for us, and we made these no-nonsense cookies. She’s made these often, but it was our first time.

Nelson’s mom calls these crispos (which kind of sounds like crishpo–roll the ‘r’). I don’t think that’s even a real word in Portuguese but that’s how these cookies are known. We’re calling these “Crishpo” pinch cookies because we want to keep close to the name we know them by and because it describes how we get them on the baking pan. You just pinch off a piece of dough and place it right on the pan. It bakes with all these peaks and points which retain their shape and crisp up a little bit while they bake.

No two are alike because each pinch will create a unique shape. I love that these are simple and perfect for their lack of perfection. They’re great to make with kids, too, if you don’t want to keep all the fun to yourself 😉

These simple cookies are perfect with a warm beverage. They’ve got a hint of coconut and lemon–just enough to be noticeable and enjoyable, but not enough to overpower the cookie. They kind of remind me of a plain tea biscuit–a little crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with just a touch of sweetness. The more toasty peaks, for me, the better. I love the little crisp on the outside.

Now that the weather is cooling, these are a perfect treat to enjoy while warming up with a cup of tea or coffee, and since we’re going apple-picking today, that’s exactly what we’re going to do when we return. Mmmm…I love fall!

Eat well, friends!

Easy Pinch Cookies

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

This pinch cookie recipe is wonderful with coffee or tea. It's crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside and not overly sweet. A perfect tea biscuit substitute.

Author: Nelson Cardoso

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Portuguese

Serves: About 45 cookies

Ingredients

• 7½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 2 tbs pure lard (the kind used for pie crusts)
• 1½ tbs lemon zest
• 3 tbs unsweetened coconut
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbs baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1½ cups milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 ºF.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Place all the ingredients in a large mixer bowl.
4. Attach the paddle attachment.
5. Start the mixer on low for 2 minutes (to avoid making a mess with the flour).
6. Increase the speed to medium for 4 minutes.
7. Remove the mixer bowl from the mixer.
8. Pinch off a piece of dough. You want these pinches to be uneven and rough pinches and slightly larger than a ping-ping ball.
9. Place the pinch of dough on the baking tray.
10. Place all pinches of dough about ½ inch apart from each-other.
11. Once both trays are full, place the trays in the oven. One rack on the second level and the other on the fourth level.
12. Bake for 18 minutes.
13. Remove the trays.
14. After 5 minutes, move the cookies to a cooling rack.
15. Bake remaining cookies the same way as the first batch.
16. After the cookies are baked and out of the oven, reduce the heat to 250 ºF.
17. Once all cookies are cooled, move all cookies onto one baking tray (they can be stacked).
18. Place the tray in the oven and leave for 12 minutes. (This step cooks the inside a touch more without burning the outside. The cookies are still tender, but a little crunchier)
19. Remove the tray and let cool before eating.

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