Sweet tamales are more for breakfast or snacks, whereas savory tamales, like pork or chicken, are a convenient meal for anytime. Instead of lard, I use butter for sweet tamales. They are also a Christmas Eve tradition with Mexican Hot Chocolate. Sweet tamales may be filled with stewed apples, coconut and raisins, chopped dates, or any other sweet fruit filling. If you opt not to use a filling, you are making tamales de elote, sweet corn tamales.
Makes 40 tamales
2 (15½-ounce) cans yellow corn
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
¾ cup unsalted chicken broth
5¼ cups masa harina (instant corn flour)
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1¼ cups raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, then drained
At least 5 dozen soaked corn husks (here)
Drain the corn, reserving ½ cup of the corn liquid.
In a blender jar or work bowl of a food processor, process the corn from 1 can for 20 to 30 seconds, until finely chopped. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining corn.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the broth and corn liquid, stirring with a wire whisk to blend. Set aside off the heat.
In a large bowl, combine the masa harina, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix well by hand.
To the dry ingredients, add the melted butter mixture and chopped corn. In the bowl, knead the masa until the dough is well blended and light, about 5 minutes. Break off a piece and see if it floats in cold water. If it floats, the dough is ready. If it sinks, knead the dough for an additional 5 minutes to better incorporate the fat.
Arrange an assembly line: soaked corn husks, masa dough, and filling.
Place about 2 tablespoons (2 ounces) masa dough in the center of a soaked corn husk. The husk will resemble a triangle (wide on one end with long, narrow “tail” at the other end). (See here.)
Using the back of a tablespoon, wall spackler, or flat-blade spatula, spread masa from the wide end, leaving 4 inches uncovered at the narrow “tail” end. There should be about 4 inches from the narrow “tail” end without tamale dough.
Spread masa evenly to the side edges of the husk. This will allow the “tail” to fold over the body of the tamale.
Arrange about 1 tablespoon coconut in a strip down the center of the masa. Place about 7 raisins the length of the coconut.
Fold the sides of the husk, one at a time, toward the center. They should overlap.
Fold the bottom part of the husk (the narrow end without masa) up. Place the tamale face down on a platter.
Repeat until all the masa and filling are used.
Ready a 20-quart stockpot with a steamer rack on the stovetop or over a standalone heating element. Drop a small coin in the bottom of the pot. Add enough water to come up level with surface of the rack. Note how much water this required.
Invert a shallow heatproof bowl in the center of the rack. Stack the tamales, folded pointed end down, around the bowl like spokes on a wagon wheel. Repeat the layering, staggering the tamales so there is some space in between for steam to circulate. Repeat until all the tamales are stacked in the steamer.
Drape flat corn husks over the stack of tamales to catch steam. To make sure tamales get plenty of hot steam, cover the corn husks with a clean dish towel to trap steam.
Turn the heat to low, place the lid on the steamer, and cook the tamales over simmering water for about 1 hour 30 minutes. If you hear the coin rattling, that means the water has cooked away. Add more water to the level of the steamer rack, based on the initial amount.
After steaming the tamales, turn off the heat but leave the covered pot on the burner for 30 minutes to finish cooking.
To test for doneness, open one tamale. Completely cooked dough should separate easily from the husk. Serve warm.