I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to bring you these cookies today!

Growing up, it seemed like paniqueques always made an appearance in my kitchen or in my Cuban abuela’s house next to a cup of cafe con leche.

I never thought much about them until I learned that they were part of my family’s own upbringing in Cuba which means… these cookies have been around for over 60 years!

In case you’ve never heard of them, Paniqueques [pronounced pah-knee-keh-kehs] are soft and chewy Cuban cookies flavored with molasses (or honey) and anise, that depending on where you lived in Cuba, had different names. Here in South Florida, they’re called “Cuban Honey Cookies” but I’ve also heard of them being called Queques Cubanos or Kekes.

No matter what you call them, they’re absolutely delicious!

I took some inspiration from my friend Isabel’s Mexican marranitos cookies which are similar and after researching the ingredients from storebought Kekes, I tested and successfully recreated this childhood recipe just for you.

Let me show you how to bring these cookies to life!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Iconic & nostalgic. Aside from my childhood, they were also part of my parents’ upbringing in Cuba. They bring me so much nostalgia and their texture is iconic!

• Soft, dense, chewy cookies. Speaking of iconic, the texture of these paniqueques is truly unmatched. They’re not crunchy, they’re soft, chewy, and dense.

• Tastes sweet, warm, and cozy. The combination of molasses with brown sugar, cinnamon, and anise really elevates the spiced warm flavor of these cookies.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Unsalted butter & dark brown sugar. Provides a dense, moist texture to these cookies.

• Eggs. This recipe uses 2 egg yolks which after many recipe tests, adding egg yolks resulted in a super chewy cookie. You’ll also need another egg for egg wash.

• Milk. Helps when mixing the thick cookie dough AND keeps these cookies soft for up to 1 week. I used whole milk but feel free to use evaporated milk or almond milk.

• Unsulfured molasses. Some recipes for these paniqueques use honey but I found that the molasses, made from ripe sugar cane, gave the cookies their beautiful color and intense spiced, sweet flavor. This is the molasses I used because of its clean, sweet taste.

• Anise extract (or vanilla extract). This gives the cookies a strong, slightly sweet licorice flavor. This is the one I used.

• Whole wheat pastry flour. This is my favorite flour for baked goods (this is the one I used), however, you can absolutely use all-purpose flour if you have that at hand.

• Ground cinnamon. Warm spices are key!

• Baking soda, baking powder, salt. Our leaveners.

Step-By-Step Instructions

• Make & chill the dough. In a bowl, mix the wet ingredients first until well combined. Mix in all the dry ingredients until a thick dough forms. Place the dough in the freezer to rest for 20 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

• Cut the dough into squares. Remove the dough from the freezer. Lightly flour a clean work surface, roll the dough into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle, then use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 4 x 4-inch squares. If necessary, gather all the dough scraps to roll again and cut more squares.

• Bake the cookies. Brush egg wash onto each cookie square. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Careful not to overbake as the cookies will continue to harden as they cool. They should be thick squares that are soft, dense, and chewy.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Thick dough is ok. Yes, the dough will be very dense and thick. This is normal! You may have to mix (or knead) the dry ingredients by hand so they’re very well combined.

• Chill the dough. I’m the first one that hates this step in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, however, it’s important because it will solidify the ingredients (especially the fat) and prevent the cookies from spreading while baking. Don’t skip this step!

• Shape the dough. The iconic shape of these cookies is thick and square shaped. You can use a square cookie cutter instead of a knife or pizza cutter or use a different cookie cutter shape altogether! Just make sure you roll out the dough about 1/2-inch thick.

• Don’t overbake the cookies. I know it will feel like they’re raw when they come out of the oven but the way this dough is (and the way cookies in general work), you want to underbake them. Cookies harden as they cool and if you bake them just a few minutes too long, you risk them hardening so much, they become crunchy. You want these paniqueques to remain moist, soft, and chewy and I found in my testing that baking them for exactly 12 minutes was the perfect amount. All ovens are different so use your best judgment here!

Storage Tips

• These cookies will last up to 10 days at room temperature, in a cool home, and in an airtight container without losing their soft, chewy texture. After that, you will want to place them in the fridge.
• Paniqueques can also be placed in the freezer for up to 3 months securely wrapped in plastic wrap inside a large freezer bag. Just make sure to thaw them overnight in the fridge before serving.