Calzones Rotos - Chilean "Underwear" Cookies

By
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes is a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for South American food. She wrote a cookbook focusing on the cuisine of Brazil.
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Updated on 05/28/21
Calznones rotos

Jorge Latorre Chavez/Wikimedia Commons/CC 4.0

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 15 to 20 cookies

The Latin American Spanish word for underwear is calzones, something sure to be a great source of amusement (and confusion) for a Latin American Spanish speaker at an Italian restaurant.

These Chilean cookies have the even greater giggle-inducing name calzones rotos, which literally means "torn underwear". Most likely they are named for their distinctive shape, but there is a story that a gust of wind blew up the skirt of a woman selling these traditional pastries in the town square, revealing her torn underwear. But if you need a more appetizing association, it could be said that they resemble ribbons or bowties.

The dough for these cookies is similar to many types of fried cookies—not too sweet, crispy, and tasty. They are European in origin, very similar to Polish cruller cookies. The same exact technique is still used today in Chile after all these years.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar, divided

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 large whole eggs

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest, or orange zest

  • 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

  • 2 tablespoons pisco, or other brandy

  • 5 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Whisk together the flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and almond flavoring (if using). Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture and stir briefly. Add the softened butter and work it into the dough with your fingers until well mixed (dough will be stiff).

  4. Add the pisco, 1 tablespoons at a time, kneading the dough after each tablespoon, until you have a smooth, pliable dough. It should not be too crumbly.

  5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

  6. Preheat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy pot with deep sides to 350 F.

  7. On a lightly floured smooth surface, roll out half of the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut strips of dough into rectangles, approximately 2 inches wide by 4 inches long (a pizza cutter works well for this).

  8. Make a 1-inch long slit in the middle of each rectangle, and pull one end of the rectangle through the slit, creating a sort of bowtie/knot shape (or torn underwear, depending on your perspective). Keep the pastries covered with plastic wrap until you are ready to fry them. Roll out the remaining dough and cut and shape into cookies.

  9. Fry the cookies in the oil, working in batches as needed, until they are golden brown on both sides. Turn them at least once. Carefully remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle them with powdered sugar while they are still warm.

  10. These cookies are best the day that they are made, but will keep in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
408 Calories
25g Fat
38g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 408
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 104mg 35%
Sodium 286mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 14g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%
Potassium 64mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)