Masa For Sweet Tamales Recipes

SWEET TAMALES (TAMALES DULCES)

Steps:

• Place butter and sugar in a medium size bowl and, with the help of a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until it has a creamy texture. About 2 minutes.
• In a larger bowl, mix Masa Harina, baking Powder and raisins. Stir well and then add the warm water little by little.
• While mixing the dry ingredients with the water, add the drops of red food coloring. Mix well to have a uniform color.
• Once you've incorporated the food coloring into the dough, it will look slightly pink. Now add the butter and sugar mixture.
• Beat the dough with your hands or a wooden spoon, as the dough is somehow too heavy to work with your mixer unless you have a Heavy Duty Stand Mixer like Kitchen Aid. The dough will be ready when it looks fluffy and creamy, like a very soft ice cream. If your dough seems too dry, add a little more water. The consistency has to be very soft.
• Drain the corn husks from the soaking water. Place about 1/3 cup of the dough over the corn husk and wrap the tamal. If you're also making savory tamales, you can tie the sweet tamales in order to differentiate them from the savory ones. Keep assembling the rest of the tamales.
• Place the tamales standing up in your steam pot (Tamalera), add about an inch of hot water, cover with corn husks, aluminum foil or a plastic bag, and then cover with the pot lid. Cook for 1 to 1 1/4 hour at medium heat. Add more hot water if needed to avoid burning the tamales.

SWEET TAMALES WITH FIGS AND RED CORN MASA

Steps:

• Rinse about 30 dried corn husks and then soak them overnight. Weigh them down with a plate so they stay submerged.
• The next day, in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the lard and butter until the mixture looks similar to merengue.
• Slowly add the sugar, baking powder, salt, ground spices, and fig jam (skip the fig jam if you're making the raspberry and chocolate variation). Continue mixing and occasionally pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• Add the masa harina and water in parts, pausing the mixer so the dry flour doesn't poof out of the bowl. If you're using wet nixtamal masa, add it in chunks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, check on the texture of the masa, and add more water if needed.
• Run the mixer for about 3 additional minutes after you're satisfied with the masa's hydration. Then add the dried figs (or raspberries and chocolate chips) and mix briefly to distribute them throughout the batter.
• Drain the water from the corn husks and pat them dry. Separate out small or damaged husks to use for lining your pot or tearing into strips to tie around the tamales.
• Set up a tamale-making work area with the corn husks, a baking sheet for the finished tamales, a cutting board where you will fill and fold the tamales, and the bowl of masa with a spatula for scooping.
• See the gallery below and video above for visual depiction of these instructions.
• Place a corn husk on your cutting board with the narrow end/angle of the triangle closest to you. Scoop about 1/3 cup of filling and place it in the center of the husk. Fold the husk in half lengthwise, and then fold that empty double layer of husk over the filled portion of the tamale. Finally fold the pointy empty base of the tamale upward over the filled portion. Lay the folded tamale, final fold side down, on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the filling is gone.
• Tear a couple of corn husks into strips and tie them around the tamales, over the final fold if possible.
• Place a coin (e.g. nickel) on the bottom of your pot so the sound of it rattling will let you know your water is boiling. If the heat is high and the coin has gone silent, you need to add more water.
• Add the steaming basket/rack and water, making sure the water is below the level of the basket. Then line the side of the pot with some of the extra husks to prevent the tamales from being flush with the hot sides of the pot.
• Now add a loosely balled piece of aluminum foil to the pot to take up extra space (unless you've doubled the recipe or are using a small pot). Finally place your tamales in the pot with the final fold facing inward toward the foil ball. I put the larger tamales on the outside and the smaller ones in the middle.
• Cover the tamales with more of the corn husks, tucking the narrow ends under the tops of the tamales. Add a small towel to the top of the husks and cover the pot with the lid.
• Place the pot on the stove at high heat. When the water begins to boil (coin rattles), lower the heat until you feel pressure under the lid but the water is lightly boiling.
• Set a timer for 1 hour and let the tamales continue to steam.
• When the time is up, remove and unwrap one of the tamales. If the masa doesn't stick to the husk, it's done cooking. If the masa sticks to the husk, rewrap the tamale, add a little water to the pot, and steam for another 15-20 minutes before you check again.
• Serve the tamales immediately or reheat them later in the microwave or on a fry pan. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for about a week or wrap individually and freeze for several months.

SWEET TAMALES WITH PINEAPPLE AND COCONUT

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for about 3 hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Combine pineapple, water, and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until pineapple is very soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mix masa dough with butter and baking powder in a bowl until well combined. Add cooked pineapple, coconut, and raisins; knead into a smooth dough.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 1 tablespoons masa mixture onto the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 45 minutes. Let tamales stand for 15 minutes before serving.