(Not so Classic) Piloncillo Dark Choc Cookie
My family recently visited, and when they asked, “What do you want from Mexico?” I said: PILONCILLO. Growing up in Mexico, I saw piloncillo everywhere — in coffee, in the markets — but that’s about as far as piloncillo and I went… until I saw Rick A. Martínez’s take on it… in cookies! I had to give it a try, and after some testing in the Motón kitchen and a few tweaks here and there, there’s now a batch of frozen cookies I’m excited to bake next time we have friends over.
(For those who don’t know, it’s a traditional, unrefined sugar used all across Latin America, made from evaporated sugarcane juice and known for its caramel flavor.)
Piloncillo is both the star and the villain in this cookie. The original recipe promises “notes of caramel, butterscotch, and molasses” — and honestly, it delivers… but at what cost?
Yields: 27 cookies (50 g each)
12 oz / 340 g piloncillo, but buy a couple cones more, trust me.
⅔ cup / 134 g granulated sugar
1 cup / 226 g unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted
1 tsp kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ½ tsp coarse kosher salt
2 large eggs
4 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste (or 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp)
3⅓ cups / 422 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups / 340 g bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks (preferably 72% cacao or higher)
Flaky sea salt, for topping (optional)
Let's start!
Abandon all hope on your cheese grater. Once that’s done, grate the piloncillo with your regular cheese grater. It will feel like grating a rock, and this is probably the longest step. You’ll come to a point where you can’t physically continue grating if you want to keep your fingers.
Here is what I did differently: set aside those pieces, put them in a bag, wrap them in a towel, and smack them with a hammer. A knife also does the job. You’re just looking for a couple of solid bits. Keep those separate from the grated piloncillo.
Once you have recuperated physically and emotionally from grating the piloncillo, in the mixing bowl add the piloncillo, sugar, melted butter, and salt, and mix until it looks like a single batter.
I do recommend using a hand or stand mixer, since next we are adding the egg and vanilla, and we are looking for a paler-colored mix, around 60 seconds on high speed.
Then add the dry ingredients and mix until no traces of flour can be seen, but don’t overdo it. Add the chocolate and chunks of piloncillo we set aside earlier until everything is combined.
If the dough is too liquidy to start forming cookie balls, you can put it in the fridge for at least half an hour, and up to 5 days if not cooking immediately. Freezing for up to 3 months is always an option too!
Start your oven at 350°F or 176°C. I found 50 grams and above to be the sweet spot to portion them. Anything smaller than that doesn’t flatten out much. They will expand, but not that much, so just keep them about 5 cm / 2 inches apart.
I would totally recommend using parchment baking sheets, since the big chunks of piloncillo will melt almost caramel-like, adding those extra notes to the already classic chocolate chip cookie.
Another thing I changed was the cooking time. 12 minutes, rotating halfway, was just enough to give me golden brown cookies for one sheet in the middle of the oven if you just want a couplele of them.
The original recipe recommends 16 to 18 minutes if cooking two sheets. Once baked, let them cool for 2 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
If you do make it, let me know how you did! I personally was sweating by the end of this recipe, but I really loved the idea of using an ingredient from back home and reconnecting with it.
Recipe credit: Rick A. Martínez, from Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat by Vaughn Vreeland & New York Times Cooking.