In Spain, what are the crumbly Christmas shortbread cookies called?

In Spain, the crumbly Christmas shortbread cookies are called polvorones.

A polvorón is a dense, soft Spanish shortbread that breaks apart easily into a powdery texture. Typical ingredients include flour, sugar, fat and nuts, especially almonds. Traditional recipes often use lard, although butter, vegetable fat and olive oil are also used in modern or vegetarian versions. The name comes from polvo, the Spanish word for “powder” or “dust.”

Polvorones are strongly associated with Christmas throughout Spain and are also popular in Hispanic America, the Philippines and other Spanish-influenced regions. They have historically been produced especially in Andalusia, with important confectionery centres including Estepa in Seville and Antequera in Málaga. They were traditionally made from autumn into January, though commercial versions are now sold year-round.

The closest mix-up is mantecados. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but mantecado is the broader category, while polvorones are especially known for their crumbly texture and frequent use of almonds. Turrón, by contrast, is a nut-and-honey or sugar nougat, not a shortbread cookie.