Sweet Spiced Tamales Recipe

Directions

Soak the dried corn husks in hot water until soft, 30-60 minutes.
Beat the shortening and salt with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy, and slowly beat in the masa harina 1/4 cup at a time, alternating with 1/4 cup water per addition, until the masa mixture is very light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla until the mixture forms a soft, fluffy dough, about 5 minutes.
To assemble the tamales, drain the corn husks and pat them dry. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the masa dough onto a corn husk, forming a rectangle of dough 1/4 inch thick and about 2x3 inches in size. Spread the dough all the way to the right edge of the corn husk, and about 1/2 inch from the left edge. Spoon about 1 teaspoon pecans in a line down the center of the masa dough, and sprinkle the nuts with about 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.
Roll the right edge of the corn husk over the filling to the center of the tamale. Fold the left edge towards the center, rolling the filling into the dough, so the plain edge overlaps the rolled tamale. Fold the top end down and the bottom end up, making a tidy package, and tie securely with a piece of kitchen twine.
Fill a large saucepan with water, and place a steamer rack in the pan so the top of the rack is about 2 inches above the water. Place the filled tamales into the steamer with seam sides down. Bring to a boil, cover, and steam the tamales until firm and the dough releases easily from the corn husk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Reviews (4)

Mo

Jan. 20, 2010

"My family liked this recipe. I made a few changes. I omitted the pecans and added raisins instead. Added 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and added a 1/3 cup more water. They came out..." See more great. Try serving them with Mexican Atole. Yummy."

Carolyn

Jan. 2, 2010

"This recipe is a lot of work and we did not the texture or taste. I brought these to work and no one I work with liked them either. This just didn't work for us. Carolyn,Orange,Texas..." See more"