Torticas de Morón Recipe (2024)

butter. not veg shortening. fabulous cookie

Sorry but whoever said butter or coconut oil is completely wrong. The traditional recipe calls for 'manteca' which in Cuban Spanish can mean either shortening or lard. Either can be used for making this, but definitely not butter. Adding butter gives you a butter cooker, not tortica. And the addition of the lime zest is also a key component. In Cuban cuisine in general when in doubt, add citrus.

Stop fiddling around and purchase some shortening! We've been following these chef's advice, paying extra for it in fact. I could count on one hand the recipes I make that call for shortening. And perhaps I make them once every 2 years. These torticas are simply scrumptious.

Originally these were made with cream skimmed from boiling milk, way before pasteurized milk was around. My great aunt used to make them, she needed no recipe, she knew when she had collected enough cream.

I made this as directed (vegetable shortening, mixed by hand, two things I don’t normally do) and ended up with a crumbly mess. I added the juice of one lime, then two, then all three I had used for zest and finally ended up with the desired “cohesive dough.”

I was a bit skeptical about how good these would be but they are actually really delicious, especially with an afternoon coffee. Definitely use shortening and don't be deterred when they seem too crumbly to come together.

To everyone flummoxed by the dough: make as written. These come together, but the way a sandcastle comes together, or brown sugar packs together; it’s the secret of their amazing texture when baked. No altering required. My grade-schooler made these, you adults can too.

Should have read the comments before starting. Difficult coming together doesn’t do Justice to the challenge of this dough. It took lime juice and night in the fridge to get something close to resembling a log. I could have had batches of two other cookies done in the time it took me toFutz around with these

I used coconut oil for the shortening and, like the commenter who used half butter half shortening, it was impossible to make into a log. We tried melting some extra oil and mixing it in, helped a tiny bit but not enough. Eventually I put the crumbs into a stand mixer and added in vodka til it seemed to stay together a little better. Rolled into a log with plastic wrap easily, and was able to cut straight away without letting sit.

These are outstanding. They were the hit of the party. The dough will come together if you follow the recipe *as written* and if you are patient. I did not need to add lime juice or water.

Seeing this recipe makes me tear up. I used to eat these as an occasional treat growing up as a child in Cuba. They would make me so happy. There’s a special place in my brain’s olfactory memory for these. You have to use lard if you can find it. This was in the 90s. Tough times but sweet memories of how much more you appreciate food when there’s scarcity.

I am Cuban, and I agree with Knickerbocker. We usually use manteca (lard) for our pastries. We did not use vegetable shortening, either.

Highly recommend you get some happy lard for these. Once a year I get a tub of it from a local farm for bizcochitos, another great cookie from New Mexico, for which the mysterious, subtle whiff of pork is key to their creamy flavor and texture. These cookies would be great with lard as well. I roll out the bizcochito dough between 2 pieces of parchment to a large rectangle and then cut it into diamond shapes before baking. Perhaps that simple method would work here.

Seeing this recipe makes me tear up. I used to eat these as an occasional treat growing up as a child in Cuba. They would make me so happy. There’s a special place in my brain’s olfactory memory for these. You have to use lard if you can find it. This was in the 90s. Tough times but sweet memories of how much more you appreciate food when there’s scarcity.

I’m Cuban and my mom would make these quite often growing up. Manteca is meant to be pork lard which is what Cuban cooks used in their recipes calling for this ingredient. It’s an added flavor that is not overpowering but gives this cookie it’s distinctive Cuban provenance.

Made recipe exactly as written. They are wonderful, and we had no trouble getting the dough to come together (with a few sprinklings of lime juice). Added stack of these cookies tied together with baker's twine to our gift boxes, a perfect addition.

I brush the unbaked cookies with a beaten egg white and sprinkle coarse grain sugar on the top. That little bit of crunch from the sugar is heavenly!

Not sure why my comments are deleted - would think that comments from a person born in Cuba would count when commenting on a Cuban recipe my parents and grandparents made. Manteca means "lard" not vegetable shortening or butter. Butter is mantequilla, we do not have a word for vegetable shortening, because we did not use it in our cooking.

I am Cuban, and I agree with Knickerbocker. We usually use manteca (lard) for our pastries. We did not use vegetable shortening, either.

"Shortening" is a generic term comprising butter, lard, coconut, olive, and other vegetable oils. I assume you mean a solid shortening such as Crisco? It would be helpful to be more specific.

I have made this recipe exactly as written on a number of occasions now, and every time they are perfectly sandy citrus-y shortbreads. The recipe is simple and direct, and patient hands win.

Simple and tasty cookie. I had to add a little more water and lime juice to get the dough to form though. My coworkers enjoyed them!

I mostly followed the directions, although I did rub the lime zest into the sugar with my fingers before adding the shortening to release more oils. The dough did not look "cohesive," but I'm used to working with crumbly doughs, and was able to eventually work it into a log using parchment paper instead of plastic wrap, which gives you more leverage to pull on the paper to compact the dough. Really loved how these turned out, and I'm not normally a lime fan. The sandy texture was perfect!

These are quite good - I followed the recipe precisely but also ran into crumbles when forming the dough ball/log and had to add lime juice as suggested by another. In future, I would use a bit of water and a bit of lime juice as my torticas were a bit tart - but good with tea or coffee! Will definitely make again.

These worked out fabulously for me as written, using metric weight. I agree that the dough is not easy to work with, but definitely do-able. I used a portable mixer to cream the shortening and sugar, and for longer than the norm. I felt that perhaps to a degree that the sugar would dissolve. Instead of forming a log though and slicing, I chose to weigh out individual amounts and then used a falafel molder to form my cookie pucks. I loved the texture and bright citrus notes from the lime zest.

I included this recipe in my cookbook "Our Latin Table" 2003 and again in a 2020 pandemic video series for FIU's Casa Cuba, La Ventanita. As many of you will know the social Cuban gathering place to get a cafecito in Miami. This NYT recipe is spot on perfect. The vanilla and salt are interesting but certainly not needed. A tub of Crisco is in the back of my fridge for whenever I feel nostalgic - no butter. The texture is sublime.One note. I use powdered sugar for recipe and for dusting.

These are outstanding. They were the hit of the party. The dough will come together if you follow the recipe *as written* and if you are patient. I did not need to add lime juice or water.