Ingredients for Sautéed Mushrooms

Mushrooms and garlic make this tapa ultra savory. It’s brightened with a splash of white wine and a handful of fresh parsley. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil prevents the mushrooms from sticking to the pan while sautéing and adds a rich, fruity flavor.
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• Garlic: Al ajillo means with garlic, so I use lots of minced garlic. After browning the garlic, it infuses the mushrooms with toasty, umami-rich flavor.
• Mushrooms: Button mushrooms are the traditional choice for this tapa, but I prefer cremini mushrooms, which have a deeper flavor. You can mix in some wild mushrooms if you have them. Chanterelles al ajillo is a popular delicacy when you want to splurge.
• Kosher salt: Salt releases the juices from the mushrooms and enhances the flavors of the dish.
• Black pepper: Freshly ground black pepper adds mild heat and complexity to the mushrooms.
• Fresh thyme sprigs: While optional, I like the woody, herbal flavor of fresh thyme with mushrooms. You can substitute it with a bay leaf, a sprig of rosemary, or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme.
• White wine: White wine adds both bright acidity and richness to the mushrooms. To make it alcohol free, substitute the wine with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
• Parsley: A couple tablespoons of fresh parsley stirred through the mushrooms after cooking adds fresh, green flavor and a pop of color.

How to Sauté Mushrooms

Champiñones al ajillo comes together quickly in one pan on the stovetop. Don’t worry about browning the mushrooms. Concentrating the flavor by reducing the juices released from the mushrooms drives the profile of this dish. Here’s how we make it in Spain:

• Sauté the garlic. Heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 8 minced garlic cloves, and cook just until it begins to turn golden. 
• Sauté the mushrooms. Add 2 pounds (908g) quartered cremini mushrooms and increase the heat to medium-high. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their juices, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Add the wine. Pour in 1/2 cup dry white wine (or 2 tablespoons lemon juice) and add the 3 sprigs fresh thyme. Continue cooking until the juices have almost evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Finish and serve. Take the pan off the heat, and remove the thyme sprigs. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and serve hot or at room temperature.

What is al Ajillo?

Al ajillo simply means with garlic. It’s a simple, flavorful, method of cooking something in a garlic oil. Garlic features prominently in Spanish cuisine, so it’s no wonder al ajillo is a popular method of cooking.

While gambas al ajillo is the most well-known example outside of Spain, there are countless dishes cooked al ajillo, such as chicken, rabbit, fish, and this recipe, mushrooms al ajillo.

What to Serve with Champiñones al Ajillo

Serve champiñones al ajillo in a tapas spread with Spanish tortilla and patatas bravas. I love to pile the mushrooms onto some toast or pan con tomate.

A seasonal salad will add some color to the tapas spread. In the cooler months, enjoy persimmon’s fleeting season in this persimmon salad, or in the summer, serve this Mediterranean chickpea salad.

For a sweet treat to end the meal, bake some apple empanadas or this fig cake with honey and almonds.

In Spain, breakfast is quick and simple. It’s usually just a small bite with a café con leche before the day begins. While lunch can stretch into an hours-long multi-course affair, breakfast is often just pan con tomate or something sweet, like these magdalenas.

Magdalenas are light, fluffy Spanish muffins made with olive oil and lemon zest. Their airy texture comes from whipping eggs and sugar into a frothy foam that expands in the heat of the oven, giving the muffins lots of lift. Olive oil keeps them tender and adds a subtle fruity flavor. A sprinkle of sugar just before baking gives them their signature, sparkling crust.

All across Spain, you’ll find freshly baked magdalenas in bakery windows, but they’re just as often baked at home because of how easy they are to make. While they’re a typical breakfast, magdalenas are just as popular as a merienda, the after-school snack for kids, or an afternoon coffee break for adults. 

How to Make Magdalenas

To achieve the fluffy texture of Spanish magdalenas, start by beating the eggs with the sugar until they’re pale yellow and doubled in volume. Allowing the batter to rest in the fridge for an hour before baking gives the muffins some extra lift in the oven.

Make Batter + Chill

• Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
• Beat the eggs. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat 3 large eggs, 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until pale and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
• Add the wet ingredients. While continuing to beat the eggs on medium-high speed, pour in 2/3 cup (160ml) extra virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Pour in 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and mix on low until incorporated.
• Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture and carefully fold with a rubber spatula until the mixture is combined and no dry lumps of flour remain, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Chill and get ready to bake. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. About 20 minutes before the muffin batter is done resting, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a standard muffin pan with muffin tin liners.

Bake + Cool

• Divide the batter. Scoop or pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan, dividing it evenly among the 12 wells. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of granulated sugar.
• Bake the muffins. Set the muffin pan in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
• Cool, serve, and store. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Ways to Mix it Up

In stores and bakeries, you’ll find magdalenas with countless flavors and mix-ins, from cinnamon and almond to chocolate chip. Here are some of my favorite, easy variations to change the flavor from lemon muffins to something else entirely:

• Switch the citrus: Try using orange zest instead of lemon zest, or use a mix of both.
• Make them extra lemony: These magdalenas are already lemon-scented, but to give them a pronounced lemon flavor, substitute fresh lemon juice for the milk.
• Add cinnamon: Lemon and cinnamon are a popular combination in Spanish baking. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the muffin batter and sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar before baking.
• Almond magdalenas: Replace the vanilla extract with 3/4 teaspoon almond extract. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with sliced almonds and granulated sugar before baking.

What to Serve with Magdalenas

A Magdalena and a coffee is a typical Spanish breakfast, whether at home or at the cafe down the street from the office.

Most people eat magdalenas plain or dip them in their coffee. But that doesn’t mean you can’t dress them up with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a handful of berries, or a spoonful of berry or strawberry compote. For brunch or a special afternoon snack, serve them with a carajillo, a Spanish spiked coffee.

It’s easy to see why alfajores have been a southern Spanish Christmas tradition for centuries. The snowy sugar coating of these no-bake cookies crackles as you bite in, giving way to a chewy honey-nut center. Cinnamon, coriander, and cloves create a warming aroma that makes them perfect for a cozy pause with coffee or tea.

In Spain, I have found these spiced honey cookies individually wrapped at Christmas markets, but they’re easy to make at home. While boiling a sugar syrup and honey may cause some pause, there are no complicated techniques, sugar work, or even baking after toasting the nuts.

Try them once and they are sure to make it on your regular holiday cookie rotation.

Alfajores Ingredients

Alfajores are made with a honey- and nut-based dough, coated in a sugary shell. Here’s everything you’ll need:

Cookie Dough

• Honey hydrates the cookie dough, adding a sweet, floral flavor to the cookies.
• Almonds: Use untoasted, blanched almonds, since the skins can add some bitterness to the cookies. If you can find them, Marcona almonds are the traditional choice and have a sweet, buttery flavor.
• Hazelnuts: Look for blanched hazelnuts, if you can find them. Otherwise, the skins should rub off easily after toasting.
• Sesame seeds: Use untoasted white sesame seeds. Toasting them just before mixing the dough ensures they have a rich, nutty flavor.
• Breadcrumbs: Plain, fine breadcrumbs work best. Avoid seasoned, coarse, or panko breadcrumbs. To make the cookies gluten-free, you can substitute gluten-free breadcrumbs.
• All-purpose flour: A little bit of flour absorbs excess moisture and helps bind the dough. To make the cookies gluten-free, substitute your favorite gluten-free 1-to-1 flour.
• Spices: Ground cinnamon adds warm, sweet spice and complements the nuts and honey. Ground coriander adds a citrusy, earthy flavor, and ground cloves add a complex, sweet, and peppery flavor.
• Salt: A pinch of salt elevates the other flavors in the cookies.

Sugar Coating

• Granulated sugar: A sugar syrup made by boiling granulated sugar and water on the stove coats the alfajores, creating a sweet shell that prevents the interior of the cookies from drying out.
• Powdered sugar: A dusting of powdered sugar helps set the syrup after coating the cookies and gives them a snow-dusted look. 

How to Make Alfajores

You’ll mix the dough for these no bake cookies right in the saucepan used to heat the honey. Start at least one day before you plan to serve them, as the sugar coating needs time to set. Here’s how to make them:

Make the Cookies

• Get ready. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Toast the nuts. Add the almonds and hazelnuts to a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the nuts for 6 minutes. Add the sesame seeds to the pan. Return the pan to the oven, and roast for 4 minutes longer until the nuts are toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Make the syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Do not stir. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, or until the syrup registers 225°F on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool while preparing the cookies.
• Grind the almonds and hazelnuts. To the bowl of a food processor, add the toasted almonds and hazelnuts. Pulse the nuts to make a coarse meal with a texture like sand. They should not start to form a paste.
• Mix the dry ingredients. Transfer the ground nuts to a mixing bowl. Add the sesame seeds, breadcrumbs, flour, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Make the dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Bring the honey to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a heat-proof spatula until thoroughly combined. Take the pan off the heat.
• Cool the dough. Scrape the dough out of the saucepan and onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread the dough into a thin layer, about 1/2 to 1 inch thick, so it cools quickly. Let the dough cool until it’s cool enough to handle, but still warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Shape the cookies. Once the dough is cool enough to handle comfortably, portion and shape the cookies. Divide the dough into 20 to 24 roughly equal pieces, about 30 grams each. Using the palm of your hand, roll each piece of dough into a cylinder about 2 1/2 inches long on a clean work surface.

Add the Coating

• Add the sugar coating. Add the powdered sugar to a wide, shallow bowl. Set up a dredging station with the shaped cookies, the cooled syrup, the powdered sugar, and a clean piece of parchment paper. Working one at a time, use two forks to dip a cookie in the syrup, rotating it to coat the entire surface. Transfer the cookie to the bowl of powdered sugar and toss to coat. Place the coated cookie on the clean parchment paper. Continue coating the remaining cookies. Continue coating the remaining cookies. There will be extra syrup and powdered sugar left over.
• Set and serve. Leave the cookies uncovered to dry until the sugar coating forms a hard crust, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Tips

Making a syrup and boiling the honey can make these cookies seem like an advanced project. With a few tips and strategies in mind, these no-bake cookies are actually much easier than they appear.

• Be mindful when working with hot sugar syrup and honey, as they boil at even higher temperatures than water.
• Wait until the dough has cooled enough to handle comfortably before dividing and shaping the cookies. The dough is more malleable while it’s still warm, but it won’t set too firm to work with if it cools all the way.
• While shaping the cookies, you can lightly oil your hands if the dough is sticking to you. I roll the dough into balls with my hands, and then roll them on a piece of parchment paper on the counter to form the cylinders.
• You can serve them after letting them sit for 4 hours, but leaving them overnight is ideal. The shell will harden slightly, giving a pleasant contrast between the sugary shell and chewy interior.

What to Serve with Alfajores

The rich, spiced flavor pairs beautifully with a cup of coffee or tea. Try them with black tea or this herbal Greek mountain tea.

For a holiday platter or a sweet gift box, pair them with candied orange peel and candied almonds for a cohesive mix of holiday flavors. You can wrap the alfajores individually in paper candy wrappers, like they do in Spain, for easy gifting.