Sweet Tamales Recipes

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Combine oranges and 1 1/4 cups sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to turn into jam, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• While jam is cooling, place lard in a large bowl, add 2 or 3 ice cubes, and beat with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Beat in 1 1/4 cups sugar until well incorporated.
• Combine masa dough and baking powder in a separate bowl. Knead together for a few minutes. Add masa to lard mixture. Mix in milk alternately with orange juice, beating continuously with the electric mixer. Mix in cooled jam, raisins, and almonds.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 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 1 hour. Let tamales stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• While corn husks are soaking, combine masa dough, baking soda, and water in a bowl. Knead until dough has a smooth and even consistency, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed. Take care not to add too much water.
• Beat butter, vegetable shortening, and sugar together in a second bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Slowly add masa dough and knead until mixture has a uniform consistency. Mix in chopped pineapple.
• Spread about 1 tablespoon masa mixture onto a corn husk. Fold the bottom of the husk over the filling, then fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Finally fold the top of the husk into the tamale, making a little package. 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, then reduce heat to medium low. Add tamales with the open side up and cook covered until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• If using corn husks, soak in warm water for a 1/2 hour until pliable and then drain. If using banana leaves, Defrost the banana leaves overnight in the refrigerator if frozen, and cut off any hard sections or sections with holes. Cut the leaves into unbroken 12 inch pieces. If the leaves are pliable, proceed with the recipe. If not steam the banana leaves in the top of a double boiler until soft and pliable, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside until ready to assemble the tamales.
• In a small saucepan gently heat the rum. Place the raisins in a small bowl and cover with the warm rum. Let the raisins soak and absorb the rum while you prepare the masa.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the vegetable shortening until very light, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and half of the masa and beat until combined. Mix the milk and coconut milk and add alternately with the remaining masa in several batches to the mixture until the mixture is the consistency of medium-thick cake batter. Add baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and beat for 30 more seconds. Add the melted butter and beat to incorporate, being careful not to overmix.
• Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the masa batter into the center of a banana leaf. Place about 2 teaspoons of the plumped raisins in the center. Fold 1 side over the batter and then the other to enclose the filling. Bring the bottom and the top over the filling to create a package. Tie the tamale with a piece of string, and repeat with the remaining masa batter and filling.
• If using corn husks spoon about 2 tablespoons masa down the center of the husk and then about a tsp of raisins. Fold both sides over the masa and then fold up the bottom. (Please refer to the photos for guidance).
• Line an insert steamer with a layer of unused banana leaves. Lay the tamales in the lined steamer, and steam over simmering water until the tamales are cooked through and release easily from the banana leaf wrappers about 1 1/2 hours.

Steps:

• Sort corn husks, setting aside any torn ones.
• Soak intact husks in warm water for at least 1 hour or until softened and easy to fold.
• Beat 2/3 cup lard in large bowl until creamy.
• Combine flour, corn meal, sugar, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl.
• Alternately add flour mixture, water and sweetened condensed milk to lard, mixing well after each addition.
• Melt remaining lard and gradually stir into masa mixture, mixing until consistency of thick cake batter (masa).
• Stir in vanilla, raisins and nuts.
• Spread 1/4 cup masa, using back of a spoon, to form a square in the center of one husk.
• Fold right then left edge of husk over masa.
• Fold up bottom edge.
• Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Place vegetable steamer in pot with lid and add water to just below steamer.
• Arrange tamales upright in steamer rack.
• Cover top of tamales with reserved dry husks and a damp towel and cover.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low.
• Steam, adding water as needed, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until masa pulls away from husks.

Steps:

• PILONCILLO SYRUP:, Bring water with cinnamon stick and cloves to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1/2 hour. On low heat, add the piloncillo and let melt. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool. Discard cinnamon stick and cloves., MAKE TAMALE MASA:, Place lard in a large stand mixer with a flat beater and mix until fluffy, scraping sides so the lard stays in the center of the mixing bowl. Add the baking powder and salt and mix all together., Add the masa and mix until combined. Slowly add the cooled syrup and fold the raisins into the masa mixture until combined., PREPARE CORN HUSKS (OJAS):, Soak corn husks in water for an hour before using. Rinse well with running water to take off any dust or corn husk fibers. To keep corn husks pliable and easy to work with, keep in water while filling tamales. Place a handful of wet corn husks in a colander to drain before using., SPREAD MASA:, Place the wide end of the husk on the palm of your hand. The narrow end is at the top. Starting at the middle of the husk, with the back of a spoon, spread 2 tablespoons of the masa in a rectangle or oval shape, using a downward motion toward the wide-bottom edge. Do not spread the masa to the ends; leave about a 2-inch border on the left and right sides of the husk., FILL CORN HUSKS:, Fold both sides to the center; finish off by bringing the pointed end of the husk toward the filled end. Make sure it's a snug closure so the tamale will not open during steaming. Secure by tying a thin strip of corn husk around the tamale. This will keep the tamale from unwrapping during the steaming process, especially if the husk is too thick and will not stay folded., STEAM TAMALES:, Use a deep pot or tamale steamer to steam the tamales. If using a tamale steamer, fill with water up to the fill line. Set the tamale rack over the water. Place tamales upright with folds against the sides of the other tamales to keep them from unfolding. Cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Set heat on high and bring to a boil, about 15 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours. Keep lid on tightly. To test for doneness, place one tamale on a plate and take off the corn husk. If it comes off without sticking to the tamale, they're done.

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.

Steps:

• Remove the husks and silk from the corn, reserving the tender green leaves for wrapping.
• Using a large, sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob and place into a high powered blender. Blend the kernels until smooth and then pass the corn puree through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl to let the excess liquid drain.
• Place the strained corn puree in a clean bowl and stir together with the sweetened condensed milk, cane sugar and cinnamon. Slowly drizzle in the masa until a thick batter forms.
• Place a bamboo steamer over a pot of boiling water.
• Place a corn husk on a flat surface with the pointed end away from you. Spoon about ½ cup of the corn puree into the middle. Snugly fold over the two long flaps like a business letter, then fold over a few inches of the pointed end of the husk, creating a little bit of tension so that the tamales don't flatten while steaming. Repeat with the remaining filling and husks.
• Carefully lay the tamales in the steamer in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cover the steamer basket and cook the tamales until they are slightly firm, about 15 minutes.
• Enjoy!