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Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)

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Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!

Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!

Is this real life?! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d learn how to make a batch of Marranitos (these little Mexican gingerbread pigs), let alone share them online. But here I am, sharing one of my favorite childhood Mexican treats like it’s no big deal. Who am I kidding – I’m nearly 30 years old and these are still one of my favorite Mexican sweet breads! Let me explain.

  1. they’re shaped like little piggly wigglys. that right there is enough to put them in my top five.
  2. they’re somewhere between a cookie and a cake. they’re not hard, but not totally soft either. best of both worlds.
  3. they’re not too sweet, which makes them perfect for dunking in a glass of milk or coffee on weekend mornings.
  4. did I mention they’re shaped like little pigs? okay, just checking.

If I could only pick one recipe to remind me of my childhood, it would be this one. I’ve probably said that about other recipes before, but I really (really, really) mean it this time. I grew up eating marranitos, or cochinitos as my family called them. I’ve also heard them called puerquitos, but they all mean the same thing – just different Spanish words for “little pigs”.

Mexican Pan Dulce

My family used to pick up a big bag of pan dulce, or sweet bread, at the local Mexican bakery every weekend to eat for breakfast or dessert, and the only bread I’d ever reach for was the marranito.

They’re the perfect mix of rich molasses flavor with a hint of sweetness that’s satisfying and filling. Unlike other Mexican sweet breads that never really hit the spot (I’m looking at you, conchas), marranitos always seem to do the trick.

Ingredients and tools you’ll need

Making these little Mexican gingerbread pigs is much easier than most people think! Aside from the usual baking ingredients like flour, butter, eggs and the like, you’ll need some dark brown sugar, milk, a bit of ground ginger and some unsulfured molasses. All are ingredients you can find at most grocery stores, so the actual recipe ingredients should be very easy to find.

However, my favorite thing about this recipe – the cute little pig shapes – is something you’ll probably have to order online. Here’s the exact Pig Cookie Cutter I ordered on Amazon. It’s smaller than the size of the marranitos you’ll find in a Mexican bakery, but it’s a normal size for homemade pan dulce.

I have no kids so I have no firsthand experience in this department, but I imagine this would be a fun baking project for the little ones. At least I certainly enjoyed making these. What’s more fun that stamping out little piggies with a cookie cutter?!

Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!

This recipe has been a huge hit in my house. Between John and I, we’ve eaten all but 3 of these gingerbread pigs and I’m definitely not sorry about it. It’s been cold and has even snowed here already, so we’ve been dunking these marranitos in some Mexican Hot Chocolate which I’ll be sharing on the blog soon.

Slowly but surely, I’m getting in the holiday spirit and am so excited that this will be the first year John and I spend Christmas together. We’ve been together for about 8 years and this is our first Christmas together! How nuts is that?

I’ve always gone to OKC to spend the holiday with family, and John’s always gone to central PA to do the same. Since we got married in May, we thought it’d be best to take turns every year and switch off Thanksgiving and Christmas. So this year, Christmas will be with my family and next year it will be with his.

I must admit, having our families be so far apart is definitely a challenge, but we’re making it work. It’s just one of many challenges I’m sure we’ll run into as a married couple, but that’s what it’s all about, right? All because of a little four letter word – love. 🙂

Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!

Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs) are a pan dulce, or sweet bread, flavored with molasses and commonly found in Mexican bakeries. Best served with a cup of milk or coffee and eaten on weekend mornings!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

More dessert recipes you’ll love

Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)
4.81 from 31 votes
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Author: Isabel Eats
PREP TIME: 25 mins
COOK TIME: 12 mins
TOTAL TIME: 37 mins
SERVINGS: 28 cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (about 1 stick)
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add the dark brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add in one egg, molasses, milk and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
  • In a separate large bowl, add the flour, ground ginger, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix together to combine. 
  • Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients 1 cup at a time and mix until well combined. The dough should cleanly pull away from the mixing bowl. 
  • Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 3/8 inch thickness (or a little less than 1/2 inch). Use a pig shaped cookie cutter like this one to cut into pigs. Place pigs 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the remaining beaten egg over the tops of the cookies.
  • In a small bowl, crack open the remaining egg and whisk. Brush the beaten egg over the tops of the pigs using a pastry brush.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.

NOTES

The number of cookies will vary depending on the size of the cookie cutter you use. Here's an affiliate link to the one I used.
 
 
Nutrition Facts
Marranitos (Mexican Gingerbread Pigs)
Amount Per Serving (1 marranito)
Calories 152 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 83mg 3%
Potassium 56mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 30g 10%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 13g
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 2%
Calcium 2%
Iron 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!

 

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Comments

  1. Jeanette says

    May 4, 2019 at 1:25 am


    I got my cookie cutter and am so excited to make these for Cinco de Mayo. I am throwing a surprise party for my husband and son on that day and these will be a great touch for after the chicken enchilada inspired empanadas I will be making!! Thank you so much for the great recipe!! I’ll let you know how it goes after I make them.

    Reply

  2. laura smith says

    February 11, 2019 at 2:49 am


    I made these pigs with a 7 year old for a Chinese new year celebration (Year of the pig) even though it’s a mexican recipe, I thought why not!? They look delicious.

    Had to convert to UK grams but that was fairly easy and dark treacle is what we have labeled for Molasses.

    Easy and quick recipe, thanks again for this

    Reply

  3. Alma Maish says

    January 25, 2019 at 8:05 am

    I am 85 years old and “Cochitos” have always been my favorite Mexican bakery item! My children/grandchildren/husband would always buy one for me when they went to a Mexican bakery. Thank you for the memory and I hope to try the recipe soon after I buy the cookie cutter!

    Reply

  4. Darlene Guerra says

    January 23, 2019 at 11:52 pm


    Hi. …i am soooo happy my husband loves these and we havent been able to find any where we live and the ones we have found were awful. …so as i came across this recipe tonight i had a warm fuzzy i know what im making him for valentines day…. Thanks so much.

    Reply

  5. Louise says

    January 23, 2019 at 7:17 pm


    These were absolutely delicious, so much better than the bakery! The only thing I changed was I cut down on the molasses & substituted the difference with honey, about 60/40. Thank you so much Isabel for sharing your recipe!

    Reply

  6. Nicole says

    January 20, 2019 at 8:16 pm


    I make these exactly how the recipe is written. Once, I drizzled royal icing over the Christmas tree cutouts to make them look like they were decorated with tinsel. I like them plain too, to have with my coffee in the morning. This is a hit with family! Delicioso!

    Reply

  7. Theresa Arce says

    January 10, 2019 at 2:35 pm


    These were so cute and really fun and easy to make. I added a tablespoon of strong coffee because the batter seemed a little too dry. They were delicious! Even my very very picky granddaughter ate 3. Next time I’m going to add an extra egg and maybe some baking powder to give the cookie a more cake like and a less dense consistency.

    Reply

  8. Tiffany says

    December 22, 2018 at 10:59 pm


    I didn’t have a pig cookie cutter so I used a star cutter instead, thus making estrellas instead of maranitas. They tasted just like I remembered from my childhood in South Texas. Great recipe!

    Reply

  9. Mary Ellen says

    December 4, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    I was about to make these but the “egg” instructions are confusing. Recipe says 2 eggs. Instructions #2 say add “the egg” which I assume is the 2 eggs?? In points 5 and 6 it says to use the remaining egg. What remaining egg? Are you beating 2 different eggs in 5 and 6? I’m guessing it’s only 1 egg in #2 and the second remaining egg is used in step 6. Please advise.

    Reply

    • Isabel says

      December 5, 2018 at 10:14 am

      Hi, Mary. I’m so sorry about the confusion! I just updated the recipe steps so they’re a little more clear. But yes, your guess what correct. You add one egg in step 2 and then the second egg is for the egg wash. Sorry about that. I hope you like them!

      Reply

  13. Isela says

    November 5, 2018 at 5:00 pm


    I don’t like to cook or bake because I’m not very good at it. I decided to try making the marranitos because they are my dad’s favorite pan dulce and they turned out perfect. Everybody was surprised and delighted!

    Reply

  17. Connie says

    June 28, 2018 at 5:45 pm

    I’m SO craving these..I’ve been gluten free for nearly 3years and have searched high and low for a gf recipe – anyone tried this with a gf blend?!

    Reply

  19. Delfino says

    February 23, 2018 at 11:38 am


    I made these last night and they turned out great. Thank you so much for this recipe. One thing I noticed on your ingredient list is you call for a 1/4 cup of butter (one stick) and I think you meant 1/4 lb of butter. I look forward to trying more of the recipes on your site!

    Reply

  20. Gayla says

    February 8, 2018 at 8:47 pm


    I made the marranitos (gingerbread pigs) and they turned out perfect ! They are so delicious! I ordered the pig cookie cutter from Amazon. They were fun to make and everyone I shared them with loves them. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply

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