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apple cinnamon tamal
4.62 from 13 votes

Apple Cinnamon Tamales

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 18 tamales

Ingredients

  • 25-30 dried corn husks
  • 8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter divided
  • 2 green apples peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups corn tortilla flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups of lukewarm water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 oz 30 gr chopped pecans (approx 12 pieces) or raisins, optional

You will also need

  • Tamalera steamer or a big pot with rack
  • Big bowl for softening dried corn husks
  • Pan
  • Mixer
  • Spatula

Instructions

  • Place dried corn husks in a bowl and cover with boiling water. As they tend to float, I recommend placing a heavy pot filled with water on top of them to keep them submerged. See photo.
  • Melt one tablespoon of butter in a warm pan. Add chopped green apples and cook over medium-heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and set aside.
  • In the mixer, beat the other 7 tablespoons of butter with the brown sugar until completely integrated and fluffy, approx 7 minutes. You may need to stop your mixer a couple of times to scrape mix from walls in the bowl and to remove mixture that may be stuck in the beater.
  • In a small bowl mix corn (tortilla) flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
  • Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and a little bit of the warm water to the butter mixture. Keep mixing while adding a little bit more of the dry ingredients and water, repeat until the masa is moist and completely integrated.
  • Pour vanilla in and beat at a medium-high speed for another 7-8 minutes. An easy way to know if the masa is ready is by putting a small amount in a glass with water. If it goes to the bottom, return to the mixer and beat for 2 more minutes. If the masa floats, it is ready.
  • Add apples and pecans (if you like, you can also use raisins instead) and using the spatula mix well.
  • Dry corn husks with a kitchen towel.
  • Take a corn husk and spread about one heaping tablespoon of masa in the center of the wider part of the leaf, from the middle down (see photo).
  • Fold over the corn husk left and right to cover the masa.
  • Then fold down from the top to create the package.
  • Pour water into the bottom of the steamer or tamalera, place the rack inside, cover with half the corn husks you have leftover. Stand tamales vertically making sure the folded crease faces the bottom. Place the rest of the corn husks on top of the tamales.
  • Cover and cook over high heat until water starts boiling (approx 6-8 minutes), lower temperature to medium and steam for approx 55 minutes. You will know the tamales are ready when they come off the leaf easily.
Course: Mexican Classics
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: how to make sweet tamales, how to make tamales with less sugar
Author: Silvia Martinez

Notes

Tamales freeze really well. Defrost them overnight and warm them up in a steamer (recommended), in the microwave (at 70% power) or on top of a comal.