Biscochos De Ajonjolí

This recipe comes from a handwritten Mexican manuscript dated 1907, created by Susana Irazoqui Palacio and her family in Durango, a city in northern Mexico. The text belongs to a tradition of home-written cookbooks passed down through generations, notably among women who carefully recorded their most treasured family recipes. Written at a time when Mexico was undergoing profound social and culinary changes, the manuscript reflects both the rustic charm of traditional Mexican pastry-making and the clear influences of European baking techniques. Recipes such as these, for biscochos with ajonjolí (sesame), highlight the blending of Old World ingredients and techniques with local flavors and family customs.

In the early 1900s, the home cook would have used large shallow bowls or basins (bacias) for mixing the dough, a sturdy wooden rolling pin (bolillo) to roll it out, and a sharp knife or a basic metal cutter to shape the biscuits. Baking was done in stone or brick ovens, fueled by wood or charcoal, with flat baking sheets or clay trays. For presentation or to prevent sticking, the biscuits might be placed in paper 'carteras' (small folded papers resembling cupcake wrappers). Sugar would have been pounded by hand or purchased already ground.