In Mexico, people celebrate Christmas and serve traditional, official state cookies called biscochitos. They are a sort of shortbread but the recipe is a bit tricky to make compared with traditional shortbread. However, you learn to have a feel for the dough and it gets easier after awhile. These little cookies are sometimes called Mexican Wedding cookies. This delightful little cookie is perfect with coffee, tea or even a glass of wine. What you need is 1 pound lard, 1 heaping cup granulated sugar, 2 to 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/8 cup red wine, 1/8 cup orange juice concentrate, partially thawed 4 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 cup granulated sugar
Start with whipping the lard with a mixer set on medium-high. The lard should become silky in texture; this will take up to 10 minutes. Add sugar and mix well with lard, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly each time. Add salt and mix. Add the following ingredients in this order: anise, flour, baking powder. Continue to mix well. Add wine and orange juice concentrate. Beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
Roll out the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap but moisten your fingers and work surface first. Try to touch the dough as little as possible while you shape it into a rectangle and pat it until it is even. A marble rolling pin works best due to its weight and temperature for rolling. You want the dough to be about half an inch thick. Cut the dough into quarters. Dip each quarter into cinnamon sugar and set gently on a greased cookie sheet.
Cut each quarter into strips about 1-1/2 inches wide. Turn the tray and cut in the other direction so you end up with little squares. Make four tiny cuts toward the center of each piece. Using your thumb and forefinger, raise the edges towards the center, making a rosette. Bake the cookies about 13 minutes or until the edges are browned. The finished cookies should be crisp.