Rosquillas
“Honduran corn-and-cheese rings — a dough of masa and hard cheese baked into crunchy, savory-sweet rings, the classic accompaniment to a cup of coffee.”
Where it comes from
Rosquillas are the baked corn-and-cheese rings of Honduras and Nicaragua, eaten dunked in coffee. Made from masa, aged cheese, and a little fat, baked hard to keep.
On the plate
Bite a rosquilla and it crunches — a firm, golden corn ring rich with aged cheese, savory with a whisper of sweetness. Bite: crisp and crumbly, the masa toasty, the cheese salty and deep, faintly sweet. Dunked in hot coffee it softens just enough. The everyday Honduran-Nicaraguan coffee companion, made by the dozen to keep.
How it works
Aged hard cheese melts into the masa dough, flavoring it and helping it crisp; baking hard and cooling fully drives off moisture so the rings stay crunchy and keep for weeks. The ring shape bakes evenly and is made for dunking.
Variations
With panela syrup (rosquillas en miel). Larger 'hojaldras' style. With more cheese. Sweeter as a cookie. With a cuajada filling. Toasted darker for crunch.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓35 min active · 25 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 15 min
Mix 300 g masa harina with 200 g finely grated hard cheese (queso seco).
- 26 min
Add 60 g butter, 1 egg, 2 tbsp sugar, and a little milk; knead to a firm dough.
- 315 min
Rest the dough 15 min.
- 410 min
Pinch off pieces and roll into ropes; join the ends into small rings.
- 53 min
Arrange the rings on a lined tray.
- 628 min
Bake at 180°C for 25-30 min until golden and firm.
- 720 min
Cool fully so they crisp.
- 81 min
Serve with coffee for dunking.
