Bizcochos

"Bizcochos" or "Rosquillas de Queso", a traditional Costa Rica snack food, are corn meal cheese rings. Usually, bizcocho is fried in vegetable oil until golden brown. This baked recipe is a lower calorie/lower fat option.

Like Fritos Corn Chips or Doritos Tortilla Chips? You'll love these!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups corn flour - I use Maseca Masa de Maíz or Quaker Masa Harina de Maíz (tortilla mix)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 6 ounces of finely grated cheese (Cheedar, Manchego, Monterrey Jack)
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F
• Mix the corn flour and salt in large bowl. Gradually add the warm water and mix with your hands until all the flour is incorporated into a dense ball of masa.
• Add the cheese to bowl and knead it into the masa until it is well mixed.
  
• Pinch off a piece of masa about the size of a cherry and form rings by rolling the dough between the palms of your hands until it's a little more than a 1/4 inch in diameter and about 3" long (the width of your palm is a good measure).
• Place the rings on a cookie sheet and bake until a light golden brown, about 35 or 45 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and the bizcocho should be very crunchy.

Yield: About 96 rings, 8 rings per serving

For a fun and mildly spicy alternative, add 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper to the corn flour and salt. Then mix 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce into the warm water before you add it to the flour.