Make your holiday table more festive. Include the best Mexican chocolate tamales paired with a cup of gourmet hot cocoa with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and orange!
This post was sponsored by AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central, and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
My holiday menu always includes savory and sweet tamales. But this year, I went all out preparing the best Mexican chocolate tamales stuffed with dulce de leche and pecans. And for those that love hazelnut chocolate spread, I made a batch including it as a surprise.
Nothing screams holidays like serving festive meals, and tamales are a big part of our celebration at home. I make tamales once a year, and it is a family tradition to serve them during the holidays. Every year I bring a new flavor, and this time I used Chef Yuri de Gortari’s chocolate tamales recipe as the inspiration to create my version. And I can say these are the best Mexican chocolate tamales you will taste.
The sweet tamales texture is soft. And the dulce de leche combined with the pecans makes the chocolate tamales a delight.
My secret for the best chocolate tamales is AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate!
For achieving that unique chocolatey flavor characteristic of the chocolate tamales, I used AMERICAN HERITAGE Finely Grated Baking Chocolate. It comes grated and is ready to use. No need to be chopping tablets!
The flavor of this baking dark chocolate is fantastic, and I love the fact that it has hints of vanilla, orange, and cinnamon. All are complementing my version for the best Mexican chocolate tamales very nicely.
Making savory or sweet tamales requires effort, and I like using versatile ingredients to help when embarking on the labor of love for making tamales for the whole family. Whether making the chocolate tamales recipe or baking other desserts, you must try AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate products this holiday season!
This kosher chocolate is 57% cocoa, Rain Forest AllianceTM Certified, with no preservatives. And you can buy it on Amazon using this link.
Tips for making the best Mexican chocolate tamales recipe.
Many think preparing Mexican tamales is difficult, but it is not. However, it is laborious. Many steps are needed to create the best results, and having help from other family members is a good idea.
When I was young, all the women would reunite to make an assembly line of tamales while my grandmother would be in charge of whipping the lard and making the fluffiest tamales dough. She was an expert on her tamales dough craft. Below I share what I learned from her and my experience all these years making tamales for the holidays.
Clean the corn husks by removing any debris and soaking them with hot water for a minimum of thirty minutes.
If the corn husks broke, do not discard them either use them to create strips to close the sweet tamales or use two husks to make one chocolate tamale by layering one on top of the other.
Measure all the ingredients using a scale. While I provide measurements with cups as an option, more accurate measurements require a scale.
All ingredients must be at room temperature. The butter must be soft like cold cream, and the milk must not be cold.
Traditional tamales called for whipping by hand. But I use an electric mixer instead and a large bowl.
Whip the butter first at medium to high speed. Adding air is what makes tamales tender, and do not skip this step.
The best Mexican chocolate tamales recipe does not need tamales corn flour. Use nixtamalized masa harina use for tortillas. I opted for blue corn masa.
Use good quality chocolate. Again, I recommend AMERICAN HERITAGE Finely Grated Baking Chocolate. For an intense chocolate flavor, add instant coffee and cinnamon powder.
You can replace the condensed milk with brown sugar if desired. Use fresh milk instead of evaporated canned milk. Be mindful the milk needs to be lukewarm, not cold.
Test the masa dough by dropping some masa into a glass with water. If it floats, the tamal masa is ready to use.
Add enough masa to the corn husk. Make sure to use the soft corn husk side, not with texture, allowing the tamal to release easily when cooked.
Savory tamales are moist and have meat and sauces for texture and flavor. The best Mexican chocolate tamales use homemade dulce leche and chopped pecans as the stuffing.
Other alternatives include cream cheese, coconut, hazelnut cream, raspberry jam, or vanilla/chocolate pudding.
Cook the chocolate tamales using a steamer or tamalera. Add a coin to the bottom of the steamer, add water and place the steamer basket.
Add some corn husks to the bottom and place the tamales upright. Cover the chocolate tamales with more corn husks and a clean tea towel. And put the lid. Steam the tamales for 1.5 hours.
The best pairing for the Mexican chocolate tamales is a delicious gourmet hot cocoa!
We are in love with the AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate’s Gourmet Hot Cocoa Mix. It is super easy to make. Add hot water, stir and garnish with festive marshmallows and sprinkles.
The flavor is delightful, with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, and orange. If you are a chocolate bomb lover, make sure to buy this hot cocoa mix here on Amazon. You can get inspired to cook delicious recipes with chocolate at americanheritagechocolate.com.
Best Mexican Chocolate Tamales Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or an electric hand mixer
- Scale
- Tamalera or steamer
- Soup pot
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Wooden paddle
Ingredients
- 250 grams butter at room temperature approx. 1 cup
- 250 grams rice flour approx. 1 1/4 cups
- 1 can condensed milk 14 oz can or 250 grams of sugar
- 250 grams blue corn masa harina approx. 2 1/4 cups
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- 50 grams AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate Finely Grated Baking Chocolate approx. 1/2 cup
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 oz can use as much as needed
- 15 corn husks soaked in hot water
Optional
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup dulce de leche
- 1/2 cup hazelnut chocolate spread
Instructions
- Cream the butter at medium-high speed until it fluffs.
- Add the rice flour one spoon at a time and continue mixing.
- Incorporate the condensed milk and mix for another minute at medium speed.
- Start adding the masa harina in stages. And continue mixing.
- Finally add the baking powder, cinnamon, and coffee. And continue mixing.
- The dough will start forming but needs liquid to a softer texture. Add the milk in stages and continue mixing for another minute.
- Incorporate the finely grated dark chocolate and add more milk as needed. Mix for another minute at high speed.
- Add water to a glass and drop a dollop of the tamal dough. If the masa floats, it is ready to use.
- Pat dry the corn husks to remove excess water with a paper towel.
- With a spoon of a wooden paddle, spread some tamal masa to the corn husk. Use the flat side.
- Stuff the tamal with your choice of flavors: Dulce de leche or hazelnut chocolate spread.
- Close the tamal and secure it with corn husk strips.
- Place the tamales upright, cover with corn husks and a tea towel. Place the tamalera lid and cook for 1.5 hours.
Notes
- Clean the corn husks by removing any debris and soaking them with hot water for a minimum of thirty minutes.
- If the corn husks broke, do not discard them either use them to create strips to close the sweet tamales or use two husks to make one chocolate tamale by layering one on top of the other.
- Measure all the ingredients using a scale. While I provide measurements with cups as an option, more accurate measurements require a scale.
- All ingredients must be at room temperature. The butter must be soft like cold cream, and the milk must not be cold.
- Traditional tamales called for whipping by hand. But I use an electric mixer instead and a large bowl.
- Whip the butter first at medium to high speed. Adding air is what makes tamales tender, and do not skip this step.
- The best Mexican chocolate tamales recipe does not need tamales corn flour. Use nixtamalized masa harina use for tortillas. I opted for blue corn masa.
- Use good quality chocolate. Again, I recommend AMERICAN HERITAGE Finely Grated Baking Chocolate. For an intense chocolate flavor, add instant coffee and cinnamon powder.
- You can replace the condensed milk with brown sugar if desired. Use fresh milk instead of evaporated canned milk. Be mindful the milk needs to be lukewarm, not cold.
- Test the masa dough by dropping some masa into a glass with water. If it floats, the tamal masa is ready to use.
- Add enough masa to the corn husk. Make sure to use the soft corn husk side, not with texture, allowing the tamal to release easily when cooked.
Nutrition
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