Lorena was right, that is quite a bit of shortening. For starters, I used approximately a cup and two tablespoons of lard in place of the shortening. I also combined the mixture with a cup of red wine. If anything, I strongly suggest lard for texture and wine for flavor.

I give it a 1* 'cause they don't taste like real mantecados, my family couldn't tell what they were. The traditional recipe takes LARD and eggs (or just yolks... they're even better if u add a cup of wine). i tried to make this recipe just for a change, and it was a huge disappointment. First of all, the shortening ruins their flavor. If you try to make them from lard, you'll find out how softer and flavorful it makes the dough, giving them a special touch, their distinctive sign. Actually that's why these are called "MANTECADOS", because their main ingredient is "manteca" (lard). I didn't like the anise flavor (better with cinnamon or vanilla extract). Another reviewer said their texture is very close to cookie dough and that's wrong, i guess he/she was talking about "mazapán" (another traditional christmas dessert here in Spain, very thick). There are also a kind of little cakes called "mantecadas", not as crumbly as "mantecados", like a type of muffins but made out of lard or fat. In any case, I think i'll keep making my old recipe, will not make this again!!!

This is just to reiterate what the first commenter wrote--the texture you described is what a Montecado should be like. It is like chalk that crumbles into your mouth and gets kind of pasty. Traditionally they are made with lard and not vegetable shortening. However, I find fresh lard hard to find around here and the stuff in the tub has a weird after taste.

Good with the egg and water in the dough and without Chocolate! That is saying alot because all the members of my family are chcoholics.

Just as JLB2 I tried out this recipe and found that the texture of my cookies came out crumbly and the cookies tasted oily. I baked the cookies for an extra 20 minutes (in addition to what the recipe called for) and the consistency did not change...they still came out chalky/crumbly. The 5 cups of flour and the 2 1/3 cups of melted shortening seem to be a bit excessive for this recipe. Perhaps the ingredient ratios need to be altered? Any suggestions?

I used butter instead of shortening and they turned out sooo good. Be sure to let them sit a while cuz they're really soft and fragile when u take them out.

I tried this recipe even though I was a little leary of a cookie that calls for 2 1/3 cups of melted shortening...that's a lot of shortening! Sure enough the cookies had an odd texture and a very oily after taste...you know, that coated mouth feeling? Maybe the ingredients could be adjusted to decrease the amount of shortening. I did like the hint of anise and the almond.

MANTECADOS are an unusual textured "cookie" that is almost equivalent to eating cookie dough. These were excellent, and an excellent example of what other cultures LOVE. Thanks for a very nice recipe.