EASY GUIDE ON MAKING TRADITIONAL MEXICAN SWEET TAMALES

 

Sweet tamales are very common in the streets of Mexico. They come in various flavors and colors. Mexican sweet tamales, accompanied by hot chocolate in winter, are great to eat with family and friends. You can eat tamales pretty much any time you like, and you will be happy. On Christmas, they are filled with sweet and savory everywhere you look. You can find them filled with pork, chicken, beef, and any sweet flavors such as apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, and strawberry, and you can also order chocolatetamales.

However, everyone has their taste; some people like sweet tamales more than savory ones and vice versa. Thus, today we will focus on making traditional Mexican sweettamales.

So without further ado, dive in!

 

How Do You Make Sweet Tamales?

When making Mexican sweet tamales, you will use the same masa or dough for savory tamales. However, how you make that dough is quite different. Tamales always taste better when you prepare them with freshly ground masa which is difficult to find outside Mexico. So as a substitute, you can freshly ground masa with flour for tamales from the store, and it will still turn out great.

For the masa to be sweet, you will use a blend of butter, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Then, we add different fillings to create various sweet flavors.

Although, there are infinite possibilities to make sweet tamales, including strawberry and cream cheese, peach, blueberries, pineapple, and more. But today, we will emphasize the making of chocolate tamales.

Making tamales is not easy and takes time, but it is much easier when everyone pitches in and helps to fill, roll, and put them in the steamer. It will become such a nice family activity that can help you strengthen your bond with your husband, wife, and children.

·         Chocolate Tamales Recipe

The major difference between sweet and savory tamales is how they are made. The delicious tamales are normally masa dough that is wrapped around a filling.

However, the dough is made more like a cake batter with chocolate tamales, where butter and sugar are creamed together until it forms a super light and fluffy mixture. Then, the flour, followed by milk, is mixed in to create an airy dough.

Occasionally the sweet dough gets filled, but the chocolate chips are rolled in, and the masa gets folded up just as it is in the corn husks, making these a much easier version. The total cooking time to make chocolate tamales is 1-hour and 45 minutes.

The chocolate tamales special is their bright and rich color – the gorgeous brown. However, many sweet tamales recipes use food coloring to make festive red, yellow, pink, and green shades, especially at Christmas.

Instructions:

1.      Soak corn husks: Bring a big pot of water to boil. Remove from stove and soak the corn husks, pushing them underwater with kitchen tongs. Soak them for 30 minutes, remove the husks from the water and wipe clean them. To make chocolate tamales, you will need approximately 24 corns, almost 4-5 inches wide at the bottom.

2.      Combine dry ingredients: Combine masa harina, cinnamon, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and chipotle powder in a big bowl. Beat until completely combined.

3.      Beat butter: Mix butter or coconut oil and sugar in the stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium until it becomes fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Don’t skip this step; this is what gives you soft tamales.

4.      Mix wet ingredients: Combine vanilla and milk in a liquid measuring cup.

5.      Make the masa: Scrape down the edges of the mixing bowl, then include 1/3 of the masa mixture. Mix on low until joint. Mix half of the milk, then repeat until all the masa and milk fusions have been added, grinding down the sides of the bowl as you go.

6.      Mix chocolate chips: Add chocolate chips and mix on low just until combined

7.      Fill corn husks: Scoop a ¼-1/3 cup of the chocolate masa and roll into a 3-4-inch log with your hands. Place the corn husk on an uncontaminated surface with a wide side close to you. Place the masa mixture on one side of the corn husk and roll the corn husk around the log, covering completely. Fold the top half over the bottommost half and place seam-side on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining corn husks and dough.

8.      Organize tamales steamer: Fill the bottom of a tamales steamer with water, then place the steamer rack on top. You can also use a pasta saucepan with a removable liner or a large stock pot with a steaming basket. Place over high heat.

9.      Steam tamales: Once the pot is filled with condensation, carefully position tamales open-side-up. So they are inclined toward each other and don’t fall over and disentangle. Cover securely and steam for 45 minutes or until the dough is firm and cooked through. Inspect the water level frequently to ensure the pot doesn’t dry out.

10.  Serve: Enjoy hot chocolate tamales with cinnamon sugar and spicy honey.

Tips:

The two most important tips for getting sweet tamales into the husk are soft and light.

·         Fill a saucepan with fresh water and bring it to a boil. Take away from the heat and add the corn husks. Push them under the water, completely submerged, and soak until they are soft.

·         Don’t stress enough to whip the butter and sugar together really well. Even 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer will do the job. Beating the fat like this makes light, airy tamales; without this step, the tamales will be dry and crumbly.

 

Where to find Mexican Tamales?

So now you know how to prepare chocolate tamales. However, making tamales is not easy and requires your complete attention and focus on each step. Thus, if you want to buy frozen tamales, you may easily approach Texas Lone Star Tamales to order chocolate or apple cinnamon tamales.