5:02 Bobe’s Cuernito Cookie Recipe
Alex and Anita went to Mexico City to learn and film a few of their Bobe’s (Grandma’s) recipes. Click on The picture of Bobe (above) to view the video of her and Anita in the kitchen. Follow the instructions in this 5 minute video to learn how to make these delicious cookies that are a family favorite!   Keep in mind that in Mexico temperature is measured in Centigrade, which is why in the video Bobe says 200 degrees (392 degrees Farenheit). Bobe aslo mentions 1/2 kilo of margarine, which is 1.1 pounds of margarine, or a little over 4 sticks.
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Recipe: Cuernito Butter Walnut Cookies
Makes 4 dozen small cookies
Dora Schmidt learned this recipe from a Mexican Jewish friend, originally from Poland, many years ago. The cookies are, however, traditionally served at Mexican weddings.
2 cups ground walnuts
1/2 kilo margarine (or butter), softened – this is about 4 sticks plus 1 tablespoon
5 cups of flour
12 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Knead together walnuts, margarine (cut in pieces and room temperature), 5 cups of flour, sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until all ingredients are combined and mixture is even. Take about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a thick rope to form horseshoe or u-shaped cookies. Place cookies onto 2 baking pans sprayed with a small amount of cooking spray. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees (about 200 Centigrade, as mentioned in the video). Bake cookies for 15 minutes. Cookies are done when they are no longer shiny, and have grown slightly. Do not allow to brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool roughly 15 – 30 minutes (as they cool they will harden). Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar over the cookies (this is in addition to the sugar that goes into the dough mixture).
Enjoy!
Challa-peño 
I was so keen to make these totally appealing cookies when I first laid eyes on the recipe when it appeared with the NPR story about Challa-peño last year. So I was profoundly disappointed when it turned out to be a disaster, yielding only a puddle of grainy fat. I am so delighted that the recipe has shown up again — this time in its welcomely modified form (even if you don’t mention that this one is a corrected version)! I’m thrilled to find that there’s still hope: the ingredient list now includes the FIVE CUPS of FLOUR that seemingly were inadvertently left out in the earlier version. (The flour still doesn’t appear anywhere in the procedure section of this new version, but it’s apparent that it must be included among the rest of the ingredients in the first sentence, right?) Also, I’m assuming that the confectionery sugar sprinkled on at the end is in ADDITION to the 12 Tablespoons mentioned, rather than a portion of that — is that right too? Thanks so very much for providing all these alluring Challa-peño recipes and please wish me better luck on my next attempt to recreate your lovely delicacies!
Hi Laura,
Thanks to your keen eye and your comments, I have gone back, edited and updated the blog post. You are absolutely right about the flour and the additional confectioner’s sugar it was not clear before. Please keep all comments coming, they are greatly appreciated! THANK YOU again for reading and commenting!
OMG! Thank you so much for this recipe! My Mother was from Poland, and my Aunty used to send our Family a “care package” every Christmas with these cookies in it!!! We called them Krust, and I could taste the icing sugar and delicate flavor as I was reading through your post/recipe! This is the best blog ever, I enjoy your sharings so much! Thank you xxoo
On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 6:52 AM, “Challa-peño”
Thank you so much for reading our Blog. It means the world to us to hear that you enjoy our posts. I hope your Cuernito’s turn out as yummy as Bobe’s!
so nice to get a recipe, but I LOVE the stories the best
Thanks so much Estelle! It is comments like yours that help motivate me to write more. I really appreciate it!