Rosquillas de Queso- Costa Rican Corn Cookies

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These hard corn cookies combine cheese and masa for a fun little dessert to accompany coffee or hot chocolate!

About This Rosquillas Recipe

These little cheese “rosquillas” literally translate to donut in English, but don’t be confused. Found all over Central America, these hard little cookies are the perfect accompaniment to afternoon coffee.

You can make the rosquillas either sweet or salty depending on your tastes.

This recipe is popular in Nicaragua and Honduras, although no one really knows where it came from. We do know it originated in Costa Rica in the Guanacaste peninsula, similar to the Bizcochos Guanacastecos I published a few weeks ago.

Given the corn masa base, these cookies are fairly low-calorie and have a mild corn flavor.

These cookies have become commercial in the town of Palmares, and they are also known as bizcochos palmarenos. They are packaged and mass-produced- but the ones made at home are so much better!

This recipe is fairly easy and best made with friends. Prepare to enjoy both making and eating this fun little recipe.

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Costa Rican Rosquillas de Queso Recipe

Printable recipe below

Ingredients

• 3 cups masa (like Maseca or other)
• 1 cup pecorino cheese
• 3 cups hot water
• 1/2 cup sugar (if making sweet)

Instructions

Combine masa and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Mix together until well integrated.

Slowly add in the water (1/2 cup at a time) while stirring the cheese and masa mixture.

Once combined, take 1″ balls of the mixture and roll them out into a strip. It’s just like playing playdough when you were a kid!

You’ll want to take the ball and roll it with your fingers, not allowing the dough to make it as far as your palm. Form the strips into a sausage-like form about 3″ long and 1/2″ thick. You can make them as big or small as you want, but they all need to be a uniform size so they bake evenly.

From the strips into small rounds, like doughnuts. Place them on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

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Substitutions

Instead of using a corn masa like Maseca, you can use the Dona Arepa flour. This makes the rosquillas a bit whiter rather than yellow.

For the cheese, we get the Percolino at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it, you can use the Paremsean from the can, or you can use a queso semi-duro. Make sure to crumble it up into the tiniest piece possible. You don’t want cheese to melt in this recipe.

Can make in a stand mixer instead of by hand. It’s a lot easier.

If you don’t have parchment paper just spray or grease your baking pan and that will work just fine.

Variations

The main variation is if the cookies are sweet or salty. You can also vary the size of the cookie. These can be store-bought in Costa Rica but are not easily found in the United States.

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Serving Suggestions

These little cookies are generally served with traditional Costa Rican coffee in the afternoon. They are also a fun dessert recipe for after lunch or dinner!