Mexican Conchas: Rich, Buttery Brioche Topped with Cookies- What!

¡Buenos días! Picture this… a large, enriched, yeast-based sweet roll made with butter, sugar, and eggs topped with a buttery and sweet, vanilla, chocolate, or spiced cookie baked into the dough. Who can say no to that?! A French brioche dough and a cookie ALL IN ONE! Yes, please! This post is all about Mexican Conchas in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. However, you can enjoy them anytime of the year.

The idea of a Mexican Concha is like a dream I could never imagine. I discovered these enriched bread rolls years ago living in southern California. This sweet, dreamy bread and cookie combination has been a breakfast and snack staple for our friends south of the border since the 19^th century.

Mexican Concha Origination: A Blend of Cultures

The Spanish introduced wheat flour to Mexico during the 16^th century. At the time, wheat flour was rejected as it symbolized oppression. Overtime, the indigenous people realized that Spain, while taking their gold, actually gifted them “gold”. Food and communication were enhanced by flour and the Spanish language.

A while later during the 19th century, the French introduced enriched dough (dough made with butters, eggs, and sugar) and baking techniques. With so many cultural influences, there’s a reason why the Mexican Concha is the most famous pan dulce (sweet bread) in Mexico today and found in panaderías (bakeries) all over the country.

What does Concha Mean?

Concha is Spanish for “seashell”, which is the design carved into the cookie dough on top of each bread roll dough. The shell carving in each cookie, once separated due to dough expansion, creates a nice texture to the top with a sneak peak of what lies underneath.

In my search for “why?” the seashell shape, I came up empty handed. I can only guess that maybe it’s a nod to the Spanish conquistadors or the French explorers who traveled across the big blue. Or, maybe the shell is a salute to the three bodies of water and coastlines that border much of Mexico. Regardless, the artistic topping enhances the beauty and flavor of a traditional enriched dough. If you dare to dream, create your own explanation. After all, what lies within a seashell is a world of its own.

How Does One Create the “Concha” Design?

Concha cutters can be purchased online, if not in a local store depending on where you live. However, I have found that its easy enough to manually cut in the lines. It’s quite simple once the flattened cookie has been placed over the dough. Check out my directions and tips below on carving your own Concha.

Concha-like Designs Are Found ALL Over the World!

Coincidentally, there are concha-like baked breads all around the world. You can find melon-shaped carvings on bread in Japan or pineapple cookie carvings on bread in China as well as in Korea and Malaysia.

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I can’t help but ask… “If they are so “popular”, then why aren’t “Conchas” a staple bread, particularly in America?” If you’ve ever eaten a good Concha, then you’ll ask yourself the same.

Mexican Conchas: The Process & Recipe

After plenty of research and recipe testing, I’m exciting to share this Mexican Concha recipe. It certainly includes a few separate steps, but none of the steps are complicated. The recipe also includes two separate 1-2 hour rises, but that just means you have time to get a lot done around the house or in the yard. 😉

The recipe contains the traditional Concha ingredients. The bread is a basic buttery and lightly sweetened French brioche dough. The colorful top is a lightly sweetened, crunchy cookie with optional flavors. I am so in love with this bread, I look forward to creating a gluten-free version in the future.

Mexican Conchas: Dough & Cookie Topping Ingredients

Mexican Conchas: Dough Ingredients

The Mexican Concha dough ingredients include all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, yeast, salt, butter (salted or unsalted- explanation below), eggs, and milk.

Mexican Conchas: Cookie Dough Ingredients

The basic cookie dough topping ingredients include butter (or shortening), vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and all-purpose flour.

Mexican Conchas: Cookie Dough Optional Ingredients

Traditionally, the Concha cookie toppings are flavored with vanilla, chocolate, and/or cinnamon. They can also be brightly colored with food coloring. However, you can make one Concha batch with all the same topping. For a variety, I decided on three different colored and flavored cookie toppings for one batch of cookies. You can, of course, choose to make only one or two.

I divided the cookie dough into thirds and added cocoa powder to the dough that created four chocolate cookies. Then, I added red food coloring to the dough that created four pink cookies. Finally, I added cinnamon to the dough that created four spiced cookies.

Mexican Conchas: The Process

Step 1: Activate the Yeast

The first step is to activate the yeast. In a measuring cup or small bowl, pour in ½ cup milk. Heat it for 20-30 seconds (in the microwave or over the stove) until it reaches 100˚F-110˚F/38˚C-43˚C. Measure out 70 grams of sugar (~1/3 cup). From that, take 1 tbsp and whisk it into the milk. Then add 2 ¼ tsp (1 package) of yeast. Set the bowl aside for 5 minutes until the mixture is bubbly or frothy.

TIP: Have you’ve ever wondered whether or not your yeast is alive and well before using it in a recipe? Don’t be afraid to activate it first, even if the recipe doesn’t direct it. Simply add some of the sugar already called for in the recipe along with some of the liquid (heated to 100˚F-110˚F). Stir the mixture and wait a few minutes. If it’s frothy and bubbly, you’re good to go. If not, you should throw out the mixture and start again with a new package of yeast.

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Step 2: Measure Out ALL the Ingredients & Knead

Mexican Conchas: Combining the Dry Ingredients

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular large bowl), add 415 grams of all-purpose flour (~3 ½ cups), the remaining sugar, and ½ tsp salt (unless you’re using unsalted butter, then you’ll add ¾ tsp salt). I tend to use salted butter. Whisk the dry ingredients together to combine.

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Mexican Conchas: Adding the Wet Ingredients

Melt 1 stick (4 oz) of butter in the microwave (or over the stove), just until melted ~30 seconds. Stir it well until all solids have melted. Careful not to overheat it or you’ll kill the yeast. Pour it into the flour mixture. Then, beat 3 large eggs (at room temperature) lightly and pour them into the flour mixture. Next, pour in the milk and yeast mixture.

Salted OR Unsalted Butter in Baking? Does it Matter?

You’ll find lots of yeast bread recipes online that call for UNSALTED butter only. Some recipes are so adamant about it that they will also tell you NOT to use SALTED butter or you’ll “kill” the yeast. Hmm… really? Not necessarily… but certainly possible… or is it?

Interestingly enough, those same recipes that tell you NOT to use SALTED butter are the same recipes that include salt at the same time they add the yeast before kneading the dough. So… what’s the difference OTHER than YOU control every gram of salt by using UNSALTED butter? The point the recipes are making though is that salt WILL hurt the yeast.

From my research and experience, I can tell you that’s not the case. Yes, salt CAN slow down the activation of the yeast or dough rise. BUT that’s a GOOD thing! Yes, salt keeps the yeast in check and prevents the dough from “blowing up”. It allows for an even rise throughout the dough.

Salted OR Unsalted Butter in Baking? What Does SCIENCE Say?

However, the amount of salt that typical yeast bread recipes include is NOT enough to noticeably affect (good or bad) the yeast. This is even the case if your salt addition is a little more than a recipe calls for because you used SALTED butter (instead of the recipe’s UNSALTED) while adding the recipe’s quantity of salt. In general, scientists say that as long as salt is less than 2% of the flour weight, the yeast will not be affected. You could always do the math, if you want. 😊

The bottom line with salt in baking is… use UNSALTED butter if sodium is a health concern and you find you’re having difficulty with dough rising. However, don’t worry so much if you tend to think you’re going to negatively impact the yeast. If you’re afraid of adding too much salt (for whatever reason) to a recipe by using SALTED butter, just decrease the added salt in the recipe by a 1/4 teaspoon.

Salted OR Unsalted Butter in Baking? My Personal Thought…

Personal anecdote here… I’ve used SALTED butter in every bread recipe I have ever baked that called for butter and never had any issues with my dough not rising. Maybe I’ve just been lucky for the past 20+ years. To each his/her own, I guess!

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Mexican Conchas: Kneading the Ingredients

Using the dough hook, knead in the stand mixer for 8 minutes. If kneading by hand, stir the mixture until you have a shaggy mass, then scoop it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes. Regardless of the kneading method, knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky but not very sticky. If the dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. Be sure to knead in between flour additions.

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Cover the mixing bowl with a towel or with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm area for 1- 2 hours or until the dough has almost doubled in size. In a warm area, the dough can easily rise in 1-1 1/2 hours.

While the dough is rising, prepare the cookie sheets. Line 2 large (17×12-inch) cookie sheets with parchment paper and set them aside. This recipe will make 12 large Conchas. There will be 6 Concha balls on each cookie sheet. They will be large, so no more than 6 per sheet.

Step 3: Make the Cookie Dough Topping

This recipe includes 3 different toppings for 1 batch of 12 Conchas. That means, we’ll end up with 4 cinnamon, 4 chocolate, and 4 pink Concha cookies.

In a large bowl, add 1 stick (4 oz) of room temperature butter. Beat the butter with a hand mixer or with a spoon until it’s soft and smooth. You can also use shortening instead. I have made both versions including a half and half, butter and shortening mix. All three are great. The shortening version will be a little grainier and crumblier than the full butter. The butter will be a bit richer in flavor. Butter tends to be traditional in Mexico, but shortening is also common. Ultimately, just use what you have or can eat.

Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat well. Then, add in 1 cup of flour and beat until all the ingredients are combined. At this point, you may want to knead by hand for a smoother texture. I usually start out using a hand mixer and then move to kneading by hand. The dough will be stiff like cookie dough… duh!

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At this point, you can decide to make 1, 2, 3 or more different colored or flavored toppings. Since my recipe makes 3 different toppings, I divide my dough into thirds (~112 grams each) and place each in 3 separate bowls.

Optional Cinnamon Topping

For the cinnamon cookie, add ¼-½ tsp ground cinnamon to the mixture. I find kneading by hand does a great job in mixing it all together. Then, divide that cookie dough equally into 4 separate balls (~28 grams each). Set the bowl aside on the counter until ready to use.

TIP: You can add different spices depending on your preferences and the season. Consider adding pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice in place of cinnamon. You can also leave the spice out entirely.

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Optional Color Topping

For the pink color (or any color you want) cookie, add 3 drops of red food coloring (or any food coloring). Knead the dough well adding more color to reach desired pink color (or other color of choice). As with the cinnamon cookie dough, divide the colored cookie dough equally into 4 separate balls (~28 grams each). Set the bowl aside on the counter until ready to use.

TIP: Select food colors that are appropriate for your occasion. Use orange and black for Halloween. Try red and green for Christmas. Why not pastels for Easter?

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Optional Chocolate Topping

For the chocolate cookie, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. Knead the dough well by hand (or use a mixer) until well combined. Divide this cookie dough equally into 4 separate balls (~29 grams each) just as we did for the other 2 cookie toppings. Set the bowl aside on the counter until ready to use.

TIP: You could use less cocoa, but a tablespoon will give a very pretty dark chocolate look to the topping. The cocoa powder will add a little extra weight and dryness to the dough. If you find your dough is too crumbly, add 1/2-1 tablespoon of softened butter or shortening to help smooth it out as you knead.

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Step 4: Divide & Shape the Brioche Bread Dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, scoop it out onto a work surface and let it rest for about 5 minutes. You can lightly flour the surface if you would like.

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Divide the dough into 12 equally sized pieces (71-72 grams each). You can weigh them out using a scale or eyeball the cuts. I separated mine into 12 pieces first and then I weighed them to get an accurate measurement. It’s up to you!

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Whether you weigh each ball or not, shape each dough piece into a rough ball. Do this by folding the dough in a round creating a seam on one side only (think of it like a coin purse with the closure/gathering on one side). Lay each ball on an unfloured work surface. Before placing them on a cookie sheet, you may roll each into a rounder ball shape by rolling them around on the unfloured work surface (to provide a little friction for the ball to stick slightly). Use a cupped hand and gently press down to form the balls and cover up any creases.

Place 6 (with any visible seam, down) on each parchment-lined cookie sheet after you’ve shaped them. Be sure to space them out appropriately so they don’t touch. Rub a little softened butter or shortening on your hands and rub the tops of each roll to grease them so they hold the cookie topping. Set both pans aside while you shape the topping.

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Step 5: Flatten & Carve the Cookie Topping

Mexican Conchas: Flatten Out Each Cookie Topping

While the brioche dough rolls hang out, flatten out and carve the cookie topping. Start with one batch of cookie topping. Flatten each cookie dough ball in between two sheets of plastic wrap using a tortilla press, small flat bottom bowl, or a rolling pin. Try to make the disk as big as you expect the risen Concha dough balls to grow. The Concha cookies will expand as well where the slits were made to reveal the brioche dough underneath.

No Tortilla Press? No Problem!

I don’t have a tortilla press, so I have a homemade alternative method. In fact, I use this same method for making homemade corn tortillas.

Homemade Tortilla Press Substitute: Quart-size plastic bag, Scissors, and a Flat bottom bowl

• 1. Cut a quart-size, zip-top bag on two sides and cut off the zip-top portion leaving only one side intact.
• 2. Place one of the round topping balls in the center of one side of the plastic and fold the other side over on top.
• 3. Take a flat bottom bowl and press it firmly on top of the plastic to flatten out the topping.
• 4. Take the top plastic off carefully.
• 5. Lay the topping directly on the bottom side of the flat bottom bowl.
• 6. Carefully pull the other side of the plastic off the topping.
• 7. Flip the bowl over onto your hand to release the topping in your hand. This method will keep the topping from tearing as you remove the plastic. See visuals below!

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Mexican Conchas: Carve Each Cookie Topping

Place each topping firmly around each of the dough balls on the cookie sheet. Then, using a small paring knife, cut curves into each topping from one side to the other to resemble a shell (hence the name Concha). Allow gravity to determine the amount of pressure you place on the knife into the topping. You could also use a Concha shell cutter if you have one, though not necessary.

TIP: Gravity is your best friend in cutting the shell shape into each cookie topping. Ideally, you don’t want to cut so deep into the cookie topping that you slice the bread dough roll (this could cause the dough to deflate). Hold the knife lightly and allow gravity to push the tip into the cookie topping. Then, just guide the knife from one side to the other. DONE!

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Step 6: Rising & Baking Time

Mexican Conchas: Rising Time

Allow the Conchas to rise in a warm place until they have almost doubled in size (1-2 hours). There’s no need to cover them. You can just leave them on the counter if the area is warm. During the last 30 minutes of rise time, preheat the oven to 350˚F/177˚C.

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Mexican Conchas: Baking Time

You can bake each cookie sheet one at a time or both at the same time. Bake the pans for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. If baking more than one cookie sheet at a time, rotate the cookie sheets at the halfway point (~12 minutes) to allow them each time to be near both the top and bottom heating elements.

TIP: You can bake one batch now (cookie sheet) and freeze the other batch (cookie sheet) for later. Just place one cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen (~4 hours), then place the Conchas in a zip-top freezer bag. On the day you want to eat them, place them on the counter to thaw, allow them time to rise, and then bake them as directed.

Mexican Conchas: Closer Look!

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Mexican Conchas: Final Thoughts

Once baked completely, you can enjoy Conchas warm or at room temperature with coffee or hot chocolate. They are great for breakfast or as a snack. You can even eat these with a beef patty in the middle. Yes! The “Concha Burger”, as it’s called, won a James Beard award in 2016. If you’re looking for a sweet and savory meal… check that one out! The recipe is linked here on the James Beard website! Crazy!!

This bread is quite unique, but oh so satisfying. I can’t believe it’s not a staple for most Americans. If you love a good bake and you’ve never tried Conchas, you should consider adding them to your short list of foods to try very soon AND create the cookie topping you would most enjoy.

Baker’s Perspective

A cookie baked on top of an enriched bread dough! What an idea! While there are multiple steps that require a bit of time, the process in general is not complicated. Majority of the time is spent waiting for the dough to rise, so you will have time during your day to accomplish other tasks.

I love the versatility of this bread. As stated previously, you can customize the cookie topping to accommodate seasonal flavors and event or celebratory colors. It’s a great bread to eat anytime of year!

Taster’s Perspective

The lightly sweetened brioche dough is rich and buttery. The cookie topping is not quite as sweet as a typical American sugar or chocolate chip cookie. However, the lightly sweetened cookie on top provides a nice sweetness, flavor, and crunchy compliment to the enriched brioche bread. They both just work very well together.

Check out my YouTube video on the ins and outs of making this bread. “Mexican Conchas: French Brioche (Enriched) Bread Dough WITH a Cookie Baked on top!“

Check out these other fantastic bread recipes!

Mexican Bolillo

The Berry Rolls (My grandmother’s recipe)

Filipino Ensaymada Rolls

French Baguettes

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes.