Tamales de Piña ~ Sweet Tamales

Tamales de Piña. Pineapple tamales! Since my trip to Mexico in 2011, I have been even more eager to learn new and authentic Mexican recipes. Many of my family members in Mexico share the same passion for cooking as I do. They were all so gracious and willing to share with me some new recipe ideas!  And along with some new dishes, I have learned some long time traditions, such as celebrating “El Dia de la Candelaria”.  This day represents a fusion of  pre-Hispanic traditions and Catholic beliefs. Many typical Mexican dishes are prepared on February 2nd. One of the most popular to date is sweet tamales.

Go with your instincts!

My cousin, Ismael, in particular took it upon himself to continue sharing tasty recipes that are published in the local newspaper “El Norte”. This tamale recipe was adapted from one of their recent publications. The first time I prepared it, I followed it exactly as printed. But, as soon as I tasted the first tamal, I knew something was missing. Water, liquid! There was none listed in the ingredients and with as many tamales that I have prepared in the past 10 years, that should have been a red flag. Second batch, added water and so much better! The tamal is like a sweet corn bread with bits of pineapple.

Not every masa harina brand will give the same results!

In my experience when using different brands of masa harina, the results will vary. I could use the same measurements using two different brands of masa harina with two different textures. One may be a bit thicker and one may be a bit more loose. I have tested both the thicker and the looser masa to the float test in cold water and have had masa that floats! Both steam up well and taste delicious. In the end it’s up to you if you prefer the masa to have a thicker consistency or if you are ok with it being a little loose. The masa above was looser. The photo below a thicker masa.

Oh! And the thicker masa had just come out of the refrigerator!

Find what works best for you!

Instead of folding in the two sides and then folding the flap down, here is another fun way to finish these tasty pineapple tamales. Place the masa in the center of slick side of hoja(corn husk). Fold in the two sides, then tie the two ends with torn pieces of the extra corn husk.

I only prepare sweet tamales once a year, so I don’t mind the extra steps!

Of course you can just leave the tamal with a simple fold to close them up. It works, but I enjoy creating that classic looking little tamal bundle with the tying of the ends or at the top.

How far can you go when it comes to sweet tamales?

You just have to look at the sweet masa as a vessel that can be combined with many ingredients with delicious results! For years, my followers would ask me to share a pumpkin pie tamal with them and I resisted, lol! Finally two years ago, I did it! It was surprisingly delicious and tasted like a real pumpkin dessert! Of course I did use homemade pumpkin filling from preparing empanadas. The response was very good, but of course there were some who expressed their love for the more traditional and that’s ok too.

Pink Tamales?

One of the most traditional sweet tamales you will see during the holidays is a sweet tamal that is pink! Typically the masa is mixed with raisins. But, nowadays, most people identify it as a strawberry tamal. Pureed fresh strawberries, along with strawberry extract and red coloring are added to the masa to give them a more strawberry flavor and look. There are so many different recipe variations these days for sweet tamales. Some recipes call for using flavored fruit drink powders or fruit gelatin powders. It kind of makes sense, because the powders add flavor, sweetness and color, but it’s not for everyone. Mom’s sweet tamal was simple masa for tamales with sugar, raisins and coconut mixed in. That’s it!