Mangalitsa Cookies

I made some Oreo-like cookies from Mangalitsa lard. There's lard in the cookie dough and in the "creme" filling.

I've tried making Spanish almond cookies. The basic recipe is almond, cinnamon, sugar, flour and lard.

Those were nice, but to most Americans, an Oreo-like cookie is more familiar and comforting. The history of Oreos is very interesting. They were invented in 1912, back when lard-type breeds like the Mangalitsa were the most popular. Apparently, the original recipe included lard.

Eventually, Nabisco changed the recipe, removing the lard.

My first batch tasted pretty good. I whipped the creme to make it extra light. That makes the final cookies very different from Oreos, with their somewhat sticky filling.


How I did it: I took the cookie mix, show above, and added two eggs and two tablespoons of Mangalitsa lard. I baked the cookies and flattened them with a spatula as I took them out of the oven. I did them at 400F for 8 minutes.

The "creme" was 1 cup lard, some vanilla, a bunch of sugar and some gelatin, to help it set. I whipped the lard and added the vanilla and the sugar. After putting the gelatin in a little warm water, and then cooling it, I added it to the creme. I had to chill that further so that I could whip air into it.

After baking the cookies, I applied the creme and put them in the fridge to make them set.

I don't normally cook from mixes, but using the mix allowed me to get this first attempt done with reasonable success. The point was to see how the lard performed in the cookies and filling.


You can order the lard here:

Foods in Season

Chef Shop