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This super easy Guatemalan recipe for champurradas is sure to be a total success with everyone in the family. Not to be confused with Mexican champurrado, Guatemalan champurradas are delicious Guatemalan cookies with the perfect level of crunch to dunk in your morning coffee! This traditional Guatemalan recipe is so simple to make and perfect if you’re looking for an easy Guatemalan recipe for celebrating Guatemala’s independence day or Hispanic Heritage Month. In this post, you will find an easy recipe for champurradas Guatemaltecas, a Guatemalan food resembling a sugar cookie made with butter and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
Champurradas, a delicious Guatemalan Dessert
My dad is crazy about champurradas; they are one of his favorite foods, along with frijolitos (Guatemalan refried beans). He always has one or two champurradas with his morning coffee after breakfast. So, every time I bite into this crispy Guatemalan cookie, I think of my dad and feel closer to him.
Since I can’t find them here in the US, making champurradas at home was something I was so excited to do. It took me a long time to try this recipe, but now it’s become one of my home’s most requested. I love that champurradas are so easy to make. I wish I had started baking them sooner, as I spent a few years missing out and only having them when I traveled to Guatemala.
Besides having champurradas with your coffee, another of my favorite ways to eat them is to warm them up, add a bit of butter and spread refried black beans over them. The combination of the sweetness of the champurradas with the savory black beans is a match made in heaven.
With this easy recipe for Guatemalan champurradas, you will be making these delicious cookies in no time! And if you have a few moms over for coffee, this traditional Guatemalan recipe is a fabulous, not-overly-sweet side dish perfect for an afternoon snack. Plus, you will have the bragging rights of making them from scratch!
What is a Guatemalan Champurrada?
Imagine if a Spanish Maria cookie and an Italian biscotti had a child. The result: Guatemalan champurradas. They are golden, crunchy, and flat giant cookies, perfect for dunking on hot chocolate or coffee.
These traditional Guatemalan cookies feature the creamy taste of butter and the slightly nutty flavor of the sesame seeds. This crispy biscuit originated in kitchens around the countryside. I’ve been dying to try to make them at home and was so excited to find out that this is a very easy Guatemalan recipe to follow.
Champurradas are one of my favorite breakfast treats, a vital part of the sweet bread basket commonly served alongside Guatemalan dishes. You will find many variations to this Guatemalan dish: some add eggs, others use butter instead of lard. Some cookies have all-purpose flour, while the more traditional Guatemalan recipes mix in corn flour. Some people use a tortilla press to shape the cookies. Others (like me) love to use their hands to pat the dough, just like “tortillear” a classic tortilla Chapina.
What Are the Ingredients for Guatemalan Champurradas?
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Butter
They are made with everyday ingredients you will find in most cookie recipes: flour, sugar, and eggs. The butter and margarine provide a buttery taste, and if you add toasted sesame seeds, they will have a delicate nutty flavor. But if you are not a fan of sesame seeds, you can easily take them out of the recipe. I sometimes don’t add any, and it doesn’t change the crunchy outcome. One of the things I love the most about this Guatemalan dessert recipe is that you can make it with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
What is the Difference Between Mexican Champurrado and Guatemalan Champurradas?
Even though they might sound alike, and the spelling is almost the same, let me tell you that they are entirely different dishes. The Mexican champurrado is a warm delicious chocolate-based drink made with milk. It is infused with piloncillo, anise, and cinnamon flavors, thickened with corn flour “masa” (dough).
On the other hand, Guatemalan champurradas are buttery cookies filled with rich flavor. They are the perfect crunchy companion for your morning coffee or, like in my home, the ideal “refacción” (afternoon snack) for kids. Now that I think about it, dunking these scrumptious babies in a hot cup of Mexican champurrado doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all; it just might be a match made in heaven!
Guatemalan Champurradas Recipe:
Yields 20 cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 4 ounces of butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces margarine, room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 ounce of sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
Directions:
- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat the butter, margarine, and sugar for about 2-3 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well until fully incorporated.
- Reduce the speed and slowly add the flour mixture into the butter to form a soft dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it turns firm (about 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with butter to prevent cookies from sticking. You can also place parchment paper. Using an ice cream spoon, scoop some dough into your hands. Form a ball and pat it with your hands to shape it into a tortilla-like cookie. Think of it like you are making a thin and flat hamburger patty.
- With the help of a knife, make three decorative stripes on each cookie and sprinkle some sesame seeds (optional) on top.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
- Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool down. Eat warm or store in an airtight container to eat later in the week.
Make-Ahead of Time
Nothing compares to the smell of warm cookies right out of the oven; it brings out the best memories from my childhood. I remember sitting around my grandma’s kitchen counter with a cup of spicy chocolate caliente (hot chocolate), listening to all her stories from her youth.
One of the things I like the most about this easy recipe is that it not only brings back childhood memories, but it also doesn’t need too much prep time. However, I do toast the sesame seeds in advance and keep them in a mason jar tightly sealed for future use.
So many traditional Guatemalan foods use this sesame seed in their sauces to bring a nutty flavor into the recipe, like Guatemalan chicken pepián. Every time I open the jar and smell the toasted seeds, my imagination runs wild thinking about all of the traditional Guatemalan recipes that this smell reminds me of.
This Guatemalan dessert does not have an overpowering taste, so it goes fantastic with other traditional Latin American recipes. It is an excellent addition to your Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. A great tip that my grandma gave me is to let these tasty goodies cool down on a wire rack before storing. If you put them away while still warm, the champurradas can become soggy. You want to maintain their crunchiness.
Can You Freeze the Champurrada Cookie Dough?
Absolutely! Freezing cookie dough comes handy when you need freshly baked cookies and fast, like finding out that my kid’s annual bake sale is tomorrow! Most cookie doughs freeze well for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label the bags so you know how long they have been sitting in your freezer. For better results, I always try to use the freshest ingredients I have at hand when preparing any Guatemalan recipe.
Here’s a tip: I like to flatten the dough into its “tortilla-like” shape and place them on parchment paper before freezing. Next, I chill them in the refrigerator for about half an hour and then put them inside a freezer bag or airtight container. It will turn the dough a little stiffer, making it easier to stack and freeze. Later, you can thaw the dough overnight in the fridge or pop them in the oven frozen.
Baking Frozen Cookie Dough
Remember my advice on “pre-shaping” before freezing? By doing this, I won’t have to wait for the batch to thaw and then start cutting and shaping the cookies. Instead, I place the frozen champurradas on a baking sheet and increase the recipe’s cook time by 3-4 minutes. Then, pop them in the oven, bake, and they are ready to eat!
What to Serve with a Guatemalan Champurradas?
You will find these delicious treats in the classic baskets of sweet bread called “Panes Dulces” served with almost every Guatemalan breakfast. They are perfect for dunking in a cup of cafecito, hot chocolate, or tea. However, many Chapines, like my dad, enjoy them the most during the traditional Guatemalan coffee break, the mid-afternoon “Refacción” (coffee-and-snack time). My favorite way ton have them is dunking them in hot chocolate, try it and thank me later.
Something my kids love is spreading butter and strawberry jam. Think of champurradas for your next snack; I guarantee your kids will love the crunchiness of the cookie and the sweetness of the butter-jelly combo as much as mine do!
While you can get these delicious cookies in any Guatemalan bakery, I can’t just walk down the street to buy them. But with this easy recipe for Guatemalan champurradas, I am able to enjoy this traditional Guatemalan food right at home! I can sit down with a hot cup of chocolate and enjoy this crunchy cookie while reminiscing about my dad at the kitchen table. I love that now I can make one of his favorite Guatemalan desserts at home and feel more connected to him!
Guatemalan Champurradas
A delicious butter cookie with the perfect level of crunch to dunk in your morning coffee!
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 4 ounces of butter, room temperature
- 4 ounces margarine, room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 ounce of sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, beat the butter, margarine, and sugar for about 2-3 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well until fully incorporated.
- Reduce the speed and slowly add the flour mixture into the butter to form a soft dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it turns firm (about 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two baking sheets with butter to prevent cookies from sticking. You can also place parchment paper. Using an ice cream spoon, scoop some dough into your hands. Form a ball and pat it with your hands to shape it into a tortilla-like cookie. Think of it like you are making a thin and flat hamburger patty.
- With the help of a knife, make three decorative stripes on each cookie and sprinkle some sesame seeds (optional) on top.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
- Move the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool down. Eat warm or store in an airtight container to eat later in the week.
Notes
Let the cookies cool down on a wire rack before storing. If you put them away while still warm, the champurradas can become soggy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1 portionAmount Per Serving: Calories: 228
Other Traditional Guatemalan Dessert Recipes
Torrejas:
It is a mouthwatering traditional Guatemalan dessert that uses Panes Dulces (lard or sweet bread) as the main ingredient, dipped in delicious syrup.
Rellenitos de Plátano:
Rellenitos are made with ripe plantains, filled with beans, and covered in sugar. Although the combination might seem strange, this sweet plantain recipe is one of the most delicious Guatemalan foods.
Barquillos:
Indulge in the crispy delight of Guatemalan barquillos – delicate rolled wafer cookies with a sweet Latino flair. Whether paired with ice cream or enjoyed on their own, these treats are a must-try for any foodie looking to explore the diverse world of Guatemalan food.
Buñuelos:
Buñuelos are bits of fried wheat-based dough, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. They are covered in powdered sugar and served swimming in a light syrup with a hint of anise.
Canillitas de leche:
A quick recipe for Guatemalan canillitas de leche, a delicious 10-minute dessert using only 3 ingredients you probably already have in your pantry: powdered sugar, condensed milk, and powdered milk!
Easy Guatemalan Pineapple Empanadas
Looking for a tropical twist on a classic dish? Try my Guatemalan Pineapple Empanadas! These crispy, golden pastries filled with juicy pineapple and a hint of cinnamon are perfect for a snack or dessert.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
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Hi there, thanks so much for the recipe! I’m in Western Australia and my 10 year old is learning about Guatemala for school. We had a lot of fun making these cookies. Your recipe is very simple and easy to follow. When we read through your post we were very interested in the way you and your kids like to eat them – we haven’t tried putting beans on ours yet, but my son loves them spread them with butter and strawberry jam (jelly) and I just love them plain, the sesame seeds give a lovely subtle flavour. We all like that they aren’t overpowering sweet, just sweet enough. With a bit of fruit on the side they make such an easy breakfast, we’ll definitely be baking them frequently. Again, thanks for the recipe