The holidays are here! Celebrate with Sweet Guava and Pecan Tamales
The holidays are all about family time, making memories and feasting. We like to prepare various batches of tamales to start enjoying during Thanksgiving and continue through December posadas to finish off February 2, for Dia de La Candelaria (Candlemas Day).
Tamales come in all shapes, sizes and flavors. The traditional, simmered pork in red chile sauce, or chicken in tomatillo sauce are found in practically every Mexican household during the holiday season. Dessert tamale are sweetened with sugar, honey or piloncillo. Some are served with rich, fruity sauces or decadent melted chocolate.
For this holiday season, I decided to prepare a masa with sweet guava paste and chopped pecans. To make the masa creamy and sweet, I opted for sweetened condensed milk. This is an easy recipe and quicker than other tamal recipes. Because the texture and paste is in the masa, all you have to do is spread, wrap and steam.
Related Recipe: Cheese Potato Poblano Tamales
These tamalitos will delight everyone in at your holiday gatherings. Serve them with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee and enjoy what the season has to offer.
Ingredients
- 45 dried corn husks
- 1 can (14 ounces) NESTLÉ LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 tablespoons grated orange peel
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 cups masa harina flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups guava paste, finely chopped
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 2 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Soak corn husks in water for at least 1 hour.
- Combine sweetened condensed milk, grated orange peel and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring slowly for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- Beat butter in large mixer bowl for 7 minutes or until it reaches a creamy consistency.
- Combine butter, sweetened condensed milk mixture, flour and baking powder in a large bowl; mix with large spatula.
- Add guava paste and pecans; knead with hands, slowly adding water until dough is smooth and doesn’t stick to hands.
- Lay husk on a flat surface, pointy side down.
- Spoon ¼ cup dough onto your hands and mold into an oblong shape resembling a small potato.
- Place dough in the middle of husk, ½-inch from the top edge. Fold one side over dough, then the other, overlapping. Fold pointy side up and tie with corn husk strip. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Arrange tamales upright on steamer rack in large pot. Fill with hot water to right below the rack.
- Cover top of tamales with remaining husks and damp towel; cover with lid. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, adding water as needed. Steam for 1 ½ hours or until masa pulls away from husk.
Notes
Recipe developed for El Mejor Nido
