Dolce Flav, Horchata Simple Syrup, and Hojarascas

Although I received product samples from Dolce Flav to aid in the creation of recipes in a sponsored post, all opinions are candid and mine alone.

Dolce Flav

One of the things I love about my job: when companies reach out because they think I would enjoy their products. I have worked with numerous wineries to create pairings for their wines; but food products and ingredients add a layer of flexibility and creativity to what I might make. I was tickled to see an email from Dolce Flav in my in-box earlier this year. They were a completely new-to-me company.

Dolce Flav is a family-owned brand that is based in Los Angeles. Their product line boasts natural flavors and vibrant colors, offering water-soluble flavors, oil-soluble flavors, natural colorings. I was instantly intrigued, imagining all sorts of possibilities for my holiday baking. They were specifically interested in having me work with their Horchata water-soluble flavor extract (on their website), but I also received their Guava oil-soluble flavoring (on their website), Pink water-soluble natural food color (on their website), Hibiscus water-soluble flavoring extract (on their website), and Red water-soluble natural food color (on their website). So, stay tuned for my work with those products!

Horchata Simple Syrup

Dolce Flav’s Horchata water-soluble flavor extract aims to captures the creamy sweetness of authentic horchata with notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and smooth rice milk. Because rice's flavor is naturally neutral and subtle, I found that layer of flavor almost indistinguishable, but the extract did have a warm balance of cinnamon and vanilla.

I began my exploration by making horchata syrup in differing concentrations. I started with 1/4 teaspoon extract to 1 cup of simple syrup and increased from there. In the end, I found the most useful concentration to be 3/4 teaspoons extract to 1 cup of simple syrup as the syrup becomes diluted in the recipes such as in a milk steamer, in homemade marshmallows, and more. I also tested the difference between using organic granulated sugar, organic raw sugar, organic light brown sugar, and organic dark brown sugar!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup water

• 1/3 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup organic raw turbinado sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon Horchata extract

Procedure

Place water and sugars into a medium saucepan. Heat to a simmer, then swirl the pan until the sugars are completely dissolved. Remove from heat. And when the pan is cool enough that you can touch the outside of the pan, stir in the extract.

Pour into a sterilized jar or bottle until ready to use.

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I used the simple syrup in an Horchata milk steamer, in homemade marshmallows, and in a Mexican-inspired cookie recipe - below!

Hojarascas

Mexican Shortbread Cookies

Hojarascas are Mexican shortbread cookies covered in a cinnamon and sugar coating. Traditionally, these are brushed with a tisane made from infusing a cinnamon stick in hot water. I thought they would be a fantastic use for my horchata simple syrup. They also come in all different shapes and sizes; I chose to use a star-shaped cookie cutter for mine.

Ingredients

Dough

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

• 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla paste

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3 cups flour

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• Also needed: rolling pin, cookie cutter, baking sheet, parchment paper

Coating

• Horchata simple syrup (recipe above)

• 1 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

• Also needed: pastry brush

Procedure

Place cinnamon stick in a shallow bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let stand until it cools.. Remove the cinnamon stick and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla and cinnamon and blend well. Add in the flour in three batches. Pour in 1/4 cup cinnamon infusion, or more, until the dough comes together in a ball. Divide into two balls. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least an hour.

After chilling, place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out evenly. Use a cookie cutter, then place shapes - I used a star - on a parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies should just be barely browned.

Place the cookies on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Swab the tops of the cookies with a thin layer of the horchata simple syrup, using a pastry brush.

Press the cookies, tea-side down, into the sugar-cinnamon mix. Invert back on to the wire rack until ready to serve.

That's a wrap on my post for Dolce Flav and their Horchata water-soluble flavor extract. If you are interested in more of my Dolce Flav adventures, stay tuned for my Guava Cake and Hibiscus Panna Cotta. You won't want to miss those sweet treats.