Tamal dulce, sweet tamal. When I was a kid, the only tamal dulce I remember was lightly sweetened, natural colored masa, and with raisins and coconut mixed in. That was it! I did not grow up with pink strawberry, green lime and definitely not chocolate tamales! But, here I am sharing with you all this super fun recipe for sweet tamales. Get your kids involved and start a new holiday tradition right now!
I never heard heard of sweet tamales!
I get that response a lot any time I share a recipe for sweet tamales. It’s understandable because the most popular, in my opinion, is a red chile pork tamal. It’s delicious and a family favorite for many generations now.
I am going to try and make this as easy as possible for you all to follow along.
Instead of creating a blog post for each flavored tamal, I thought it would be easier to create one masa base and then add in the different ingredients to create the vibrant and tasty different flavors! I am going to keep the text short today!
Irish Butter! Why Irish Butter??
A nice follower gave me a great tip when choosing butter for my sweet tamales! Most butter in the market contains water. Yup! If you are using it for your tamales, the water is going to evaporate during the steaming process. I don’t want that because, the tamal may come out slightly dry. The Irish butter does not contain water. Can you see how yellow it is compared to other brands of butter?
Use your favorite brand of Mexican chocolate!
I enjoy trying as many brands as I can get my hands on. How will I know if I like one over another if I always stick to one brand? I have been fortunate enough to live near several Mexican markets here in northern California. It’s not always the case though. When I am back on the east coast, online shopping is my best source for Mexican ingredients. Unless I make a pit stop at my sister’s home in North Carolina and stock up on ingredients. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Moral of the story, look for the chocolate that has the least of ingredients!
I confess, that I did not know anything about the float test all those years I helped mom prepare tamales!
Not once did I ever see mom do the float test with her masa for tamales. I probably am biased, but her tamales were always so delicious! Mom’s style of tamales was much like the ones prepared in Monterrey, Mexico. They have a thin layer of masa, more meat and they are smaller that the tamales you see available these days. Heck, some look as big as burritos! I love masa, but show me the meat, lol! If your masa floats in cold water after you are done mixing it, this means it’s light and fluffy. This will yield a soft tamal that is not dense in the end.
Cooked fruit or fresh fruit?
To be honest, I have always used fresh fruit to add into my sweet tamales. I have seen where people will cook the diced pineapple or crushed strawberries first with water and sugar before adding it to the masa. I figure that the tamales are going to steam for an hour or more, why cook the fruit? But, of course you can again, do what works for you.
No stand mixer?
A hand held electric mixer works just as well, just remember to use a deep bowl to prevent the masa from flying everywhere. Been there, done that! Lol! One can also mix everything by hand. It’s a little more work and takes a little longer, but it will work.
Can Tamales Be Prepared Without Adding Fat?
Good question! What would happen if you didn’t add any form of fat? There are only a few options for preparing a lighter version of tamales. One is , wait for it…. Mashed potatoes! I have tried it. That recipe is on my blog. I have heard you could substitute with mashed bananas too, but I have not tried that one. The potato version was tasty, but it threw the flavor of the masa off a bit. For those who really want to enjoy tamales without the fat, that is an option.
I have to admit, I was skeptical when it came to chocolate and lime tamales!
It’s kind of difficult to get passed those intense colors that look more like ice cream than masa for tamales, lol! After tasting the chocolate, strawberry and lime tamales again this morning, I have changed my opinion. They were moist, lightly sweetened, colorful and tasted more like a fluffy corn cake. I was happy!
Doesn’t the masa look like ice cream or sherbet??
You can leave them plain, mix the flavors like Neapolitan or add some chocolate chips, coconut or raisins. In the passed I have even prepared a sweet cream cheese filling with preserves.
When filling the tamal, leave a space at the bottom of the corn husk because tamales will expand and grow a bit.
The photos are from the first day I steamed the tamales. two days went by and I reheated a few in a shallow bowl covered with plastic wrap. Wow! They were so beautiful! Moist, flavorful and the colors were so vibrant! Check the last photo!
This was the first day…..
This was today, the third day!
Tamales Dulces! Sweet Tamales!
Equipment
- 1 Large steamer pot, 12-20 quarts
- 1 lb of dried corn husk for tamales
Ingredients
- 3 c unsalted butter, at room temperature look for the Irish brand, Kerrygold pure Irish butter
- 3 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 c masa harina, corn flour I mixed masa harina for tamales with regular more finely ground masa harina
For Chocolate Tamal
- 2 c milk
- 3 oz Mexican chocolate
- 3 loose c of the masa mix from above
- 2 tbsps cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 c sugar
For Strawberry Tamal
- 8 oz fresh strawberries, washed and roughly chopped
- 1 c sugar
- 1 c water
- 3 loose cups of the masa mix from above
- 2 tsps strawberry extract
- red food coloring, start with 3-4 drops
- 1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
For Lime Tamal
- 3 loose cups of masa mix
- 4 oz package lime jello
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 9-10 oz room temperature water or you can use pineapple juice from a can
Instructions
- Go through the bag of corn husk and rinse thoroughly under warm water to remove any dirt or corn silks. Cover the husks in really hot water and let them soak while you prepare your masa flavors. You will need 36-40 husk for the tamales. Keep the extras to cover during the steaming process.
- To start, heat the 2 cups of milk for chocolate tamales at medium. Add the Mexican chocolate and continue cooking, stirring as needed until all the chocolate melts. Pour into a large cup or small bowl and refrigerate to cool completely.
Masa Base
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter for 4 minutes. Mix in the baking powder and salt. Gradually mix in all of the masa harina.
- Divide this coarse mix into 3 equal parts, leaving one part in the stand mixer bowl.
Strawberry Masa
- In the blender jar, add the strawberries, 1 cup of cool water and 1 cup of sugar. Blend on high for 15-20 seconds. Pour the blended strawberries into the stand mixer bowl with reserved masa mix. Mix at medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in the strawberry extract, food coloring and sweetened condensed milk. Mix at medium/high speed for 5 minutes. Stop and taste the masa for sugar. If you like it sweeter, mix in more sweetened condensed milk. Mix for another 5-6 minutes. Drop 1/3 of a teaspoon into a glass of cold water. If the masa floats, it's ready! Transfer masa to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
Lime Masa
- After you wash the stand mixer bowl, pour in 1/3 of the coarse masa mix. Pour in the dry lime jello mix and vanilla. Mix at medium for 1 minute. Gradually mix in the room temperature water. Mix at medium for 5-7 minutes. If the masa feels too thick, mix in a little more water. Mix for another 3-4 minute. Again, repeat the float test. My green masa sank, but then floated to the top a few seconds later. I mixed it for a few more minutes and called it ready. Transfer to another bowl, cover and chill until ready to use.
Chocolate Masa
- Once chocolate milk has cooled, lets mix the first flavor. To the coarse masa mix in the stand mixer bowl, gradually mix in the cooled Mexican chocolate milk.
- Mix in the sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla. Continue mixing at medium speed for 6-7 minutes until masa looks light and fluffy. All of the masa flavors should be easy to spread and resemble a somewhat thick frosting. Taste for sweetness. Adjust to your liking. Repeat the float test. if ready, transfer to another bowl, cover and chill until ready to use.
Assembly and Steaming
- When ready, grab a large handful of softened corn husk and shake off the excess water. Bring out your masa flavors and set up your assembly station. If you are using any ad ins, like chocolate chips, coconut or raisins, pour them into small bowls at set them nearby.
- Pour water into your steamer pot just below where the steamer insert will go. Stay below that line, otherwise too much water could affect the texture of the masa. Place the pot on medium/low heat while you assemble all the tamales.
- If the corn husk is extra wide, you could tear it down on one side so it is about 6 inches across. To each corn husk you will add 3-4 tbsps of flavored masa to the center. No need to spread the masa. Mix the flavors or just add one flavor. Add in some of the coconut, chocolate chips or raisins down the center if you like. Press them gently into the masa. Fold in the sides and then fold the flap down. Repeat until you have used all the masa. Depending on how big you prepare the tamales, this recipe yields about 36 medium tamales.
- When ready, take some of the extra husks and tear them into strips. Place them at the bottom of the warming steamer pot on top of steamer insert. Turn heat up to high. Take two tamales and hold them together with the flaps on the inside. Place them in the steamer pot this way, open side up. Repeat until pot is full.
- Take the remaining corn husk and cover the tamales to keep water out of the top. You can use a clean kitchen towel or some parchment paper on top of the husk to cover even better. Place lid on pot. If needed, place a heavy bowl or your molcajete on top to keep lid on tight. Once the steamer begins to steam rapidly, reduce the heat medium and set your timer for 1 hour. After one hour, carefully pull out one tamal and let it sit for 3 minutes before you try to unwrap it. If the husks pulls away fairly easy, they are ready. If not, steam for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let them sit in the pot to finish setting up.
- Store tamales in plastic storage bags once completely cooled. They will last refrigerated for 7-9 days.
Notes
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