Sweet Mexican Chocolate Tamales with Pecans
It’s that time of year again when the cold starts creeping in and I yearn for a nice mug of hot chocolate and a tamal. And there’s nothing better than these Mexican chocolate tamales that will conquer your heart with their cinnamon aroma and melted bittersweet chocolate filling. They are delicious as a dessert, breakfast, or a merienda with some tea and friends.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Dessert tamales are as popular in my house as savory tamales, especially during the holiday season, and I know your family will love them too! They are relatively easy to make because you don’t have to prepare a filling. Plus, they are both vegan and gluten-free!
A History
Sweet tamales are one of the oldest recorded foods in pre-Colombian Mexico. The Nahuas would sweeten the masa with honey or agave honey and eat them as part of a religious ritual or celebration. Not unlike the way they are eaten today for celebrations like Christmas, New Year’s, and the Dia de la Candelaria.
Sweet tamales are very popular in Southern and Central Mexico, but not so common in Northern Mexico or the US. In Mexico City there are even modern flavors like oreo tamales or gansito tamales! I didn’t grow up eating them, I’m from Northern Mexico, but I discovered them later in life and now I love them!
Ingredients
Mexican Chocolate: Mexican chocolate is made from ground roasted cacao nibs, sugar, cinnamon, or nuts, it differs from your standard chocolate, because it is less processed and has a more intense cacao flavor. Mexican chocolate has a slightly granular texture. I like to use an artisanal brand called Hernan, but Ibarra is more readily available at Mexican markets or the Mexican section of your grocery store.
Masa Harina: Masa harina is nixtamalized corn flour or flour to make corn tortillas. The flour is the dried fresh masa dough, which is made from ground field corn treated through a process called nixtamalization. It is readily available in grocery stores in the baking section or the Mexican section.
Corn Husks: Dried corn husks are the most common tamal wrapper and it is easily found at your local Mexican market or the Mexican section of your grocery store. Just remember you’re not supposed to eat them! Corn husks are also available online.
Vegan Butter: My favorite vegan butter is Earth Balance, but there are many other options now. If you can’t find unsalted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
Soak corn husks in hot water for about an hour or until you have pliable husks. In the bowl of a mixer combine butter and sugar.
Beat the room temperature butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until the butter has doubled in size and is nice and fluffy.
Add the ground Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
Add half of the masa harina and beat to incorporate.
Add the warm milk and beat to incorporate.
Repeat this process with the rest of the masa harina and water.
The masa should have the consistency of a thick cake batter.
Using a spoon, spread the dough onto the corn husk, forming a square. Place the chocolate chips and pecans in the center.
Fold the tamal so the ends meet each other then keep rolling.
Fill the steamer with water, just below the steamer rack, and line the side of the steamer with a layer of corn husks. Add your tamales, place any leftover corn husks on top and cover.
Steam tamales for 40 minutes after the water begins to boil. Remove the steamer from the heat, uncover it, and let it cool.
Tips and Tricks
If you are oil-free, use unsweetened pumpkin puree to replace the fat. If you don’t like vegan butter, replace it with coconut oil or vegetable shortening. If you want to make these tamales with fresh masa, replace the masa harina with 2 lbs. of fresh masa.
Serving
The best tamales are eaten while still warm right out of the steamer. Serve them with chopped pecans and shaved Mexican chocolate on top, or for an extra decadent treat serve them with vegan caramel sauce.
Storing
Store the tamales with the corn husks still on in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
FAQ
Masa harina is dried nixtamalized corn masa and is finer ground than corn meal. Corn meal is ground dried corn (it is not nixtamalized).
Carefully unwrap the corn husk and throw away. Eat the tamal with a fork with salsa of your choice.
Yes, coconut oil is a great substitute for lard or butter in tamales. You can substitute it by weight.
More Vegan Tamales Recipes
Chocolate Tamales
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 oz.) Vegan Butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup Sugar granulated
- 4 cups (1 lb. 2oz) Masa harina
- 1.5 tsp. Baking powder
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 ½ cups (9 oz.) Mexican chocolate ground
- ½ tsp. Cinnamon ground
- 2 cups Almond Milk unsweetened, warm
- 2 cups Water warm
- ½ cup Pecans chopped
- 2 cups Chocolate chips bittersweet
- 30 Corn husks dried
Instructions
To prepare the husks:
- Soak the corn husks in hot water, in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. Place a plate over them to weigh them down so they are completely submerged. Let them soak for at least an hour.
To make the dough:
- Chop the Mexican chocolate into small pieces and grind to a powder in the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the chocolate with a standard kitchen grater.
- Beat the butter and sugar, on medium-high speed, with an electric mixer, until the butter has doubled in size and is nice and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and beat for 1 minute to incorporate into the butter.
- Add half of the masa harina then add the almond milk. After it is completely incorporated, add the other half of masa harina and water. Beat at low speed, until thoroughly mixed. It should have the consistency of a thick cake batter. If necessary add more water until you reach that consistency.
- For lighter and fluffier tamales, let the dough rest for an hour in the refrigerator. Remove the dough from the fridge and rebeat it, adding enough liquid to get it to the consistency it had before.
- Remove the corn husks from the water and set on paper towels.
To set up the steamer:
- Fill the bottom with water making sure the water is not touching the steamer rack. Line the rack and sides of the steamer pot with corn husks. Set aside.
To wrap the tamales:
- Pull 24 pencil thin strips off of the corn husks and set aside. Take a husk and dry off the excess water on it with a paper towel. Place the husk in your hand with the tapered side away from you and the smooth side up. Using a spoon, spread 2-3 tbsp. of the dough (¼ inch thick) onto the corn husk, forming a 3 – 4 inch square. Leave a border of at least 3/4 inch on each side of the square.
- Place 5-10 chocolate chips, and a sprinkle of chopped pecans in the center of the dough. Bring the two long sides of the corn husk together, this will cause the masa to surround the filling, and roll them in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is too small, fold one of the long sides towards the center, and then fold the other long side on top.) Fold down the empty tapered section of the corn husk, forming a closed bottom. This will leave the top of the tamal open. Tie with a corn husk strip to secure the bottom of the tamal.
- Place the tamal in the steamer vertically leaning against the side of the steamer, with the folded part of the tamal on the bottom. Repeat this process until you run out of dough and all the tamales are in the steamer. Cover them with a layer of corn husks. If the steamer is not full, fill the empty spaces with more corn husks. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 40 minutes. Check the tamales, when they separate easily from the corn husk it means they are done. If they are not done, steam for 10 more minutes and check again.
- Remove steamer from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and let cool. Don’t be alarmed if the tamales seem really soft. As they cool, they will firm up.
No ads nor links here. I made these exactly as directed. I used Ibarra chocolate and these were delicious. It’s a terrific combination of flavors. Because we only have a microwave at work, I wrap a tamal in a damp paper towel to warm them up. Nice break from savory ones all month of December long. Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! so glad you liked them.
How is the best way to reheat? I am taking them to a dinner so I would prepare them early in the day. Also, what is that fabulous sauce you poured on them?
The best way is to put them in the steamer again, but you can also do it in the microwave. The sauce in the video is a chocolate sauce, I just melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and added a little bit of plant-milk.
Have you tried making Tamales in a Pressure Cooker?
I haven’t. The instapot is on my wish list, but wouldn’t it be great if it is possible!
I seen the Instant Pot on sale on Amazon for $68.95 & FREE Shipping.
Also the Cuisinart for $69.99 & FREE Shipping.
I have a Cuisinart Pressure cooker that I bought at Costco for the same price and love.
https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-LUX60-Programmable-1000-Watt/dp/B0073GIN08/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480541446&sr=1-2&keywords=instapot
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CPC-600-Electric-Pressure-Stainless/dp/B000MPA044/ref=sr_1_13?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480541446&sr=1-13&keywords=instapot
I’m trying so hard to convince my husband that we totally need and Instant Pot, but we have so many appliances already he is not convinced.
I also have the POWER Pressure Cooker XL that I also about at Costco for $75.00 after it went on sale. I like the Canning feature. I want to try my hand at canning.
I also looked on Nov 30, 2016 at 2 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
Ebay site and they have POWER PRESSURE COOKER XL for
$55.00 & $17.17 Standard Shipping
$75.00 & Free shipping
$61.99 & Shipping: $10.36
$70.99 & Shipping: FREE
http://www.ebay.com/itm/POWER-PRESSURE-COOKER-XL-/172427667162?hash=item28257d66da:g:fEkAAOSwA3dYPwy2
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-XL-6-Quart-PRESSURE-COOKER-Digital-Display-Panel-PRESSURE-COOKER-Silver-/301916051443?hash=item464b9957f3:g:FVYAAOSwGYVW~l1Z
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Power-Pressure-Cooker-XL-6-Quart-As-Seen-on-TV-/162301467035?hash=item25c9ebd99b:g:CoYAAOSwiYFXFELF
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Sale-Power-Pressure-Cooker-XL-6Qt-Quart-Silver-FREE-SHIP-/152318792346?hash=item2376e8529a:g:ZeQAAOSw44BYJZNt
Thank you so much for all this info. It is very helpful. I will need to try harder to convince my hubby.
Another Pressure Cooker listed on Ebay.
Cuisinart Pressure Cooker.
Cuisinart CPC-600 Electric Pressure Cooker (Stainless Steel)NEW IN OPEN BOX
Price:US $62.00
Shipping: FREE Economy Shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cuisinart-CPC-600-Electric-Pressure-Cooker-Stainless-Steel-NEW-IN-OPEN-BOX-/142194746017?hash=item211b77a2a1:g:tPUAAOSw8gVX4M0u
where can I find ground Mexican chocolate?
HI Pam, I just bought a regular Mexican chocolate tablet (the ones used to make hot chocolate), and ground it up in my food processor. You can usually find Mexican chocolate at your local Hispanic grocery.
How wonderfully inspired and beautifully presented. Thank you for sharing!!! (following)