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Crazy Tamales

Crazy Tamales Recipe

Tamales are so versatile, that they're great to create new recipes for them. Try these crazy tamales to get a completely different experience!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Centroamerican, Latino, Mexican
Servings 10
Calories 200 kcal

Ingredients
  

Masa for Sweet Tamales

  • 3 cups Maseca
  • cups water
  • cups milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil
  • tbsps baking powder

Masa for Savory Tamales

Pizza Tamal

Nutella Tamal

  • Sweet tamal dough
  • 2 tbsps Nutella per tamal
  • Sliced strawberries

Chilaquiles Tamal

  • Savory tamal dough
  • ½ cup of your choice of chilaquiles
  • Sauce of your choice
  • Cotija cheese to decorate

Chocolate Cupcake Tamal

Oreo Tamal

  • cups of sweet tamal dough
  • 10 crushed Oreos to add to the sweet tamal dough
  • Whole milk to make the dough consistency
  • 2 Oreos for each tamal
  • Mini Oreos for decorating

Instructions
 

  • Making the savory and the sweet masa is slightly different. Before mixing the masa ingredients, put the corn husks for tamales to soften in hot water for 30 minutes.
  • To make savory masa into a bowl, add the masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients and pour vegetable broth slowly. Once the masa gets consistency, add the vegetable oil and keep mixing. You'll feel that's lighter than tortillas' masa. It'll be ready when you can close your fit, and it slides through your fingers.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit while making the sweet masa.
  • Put the masa harina, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Then mix the dry ingredients and add milk and water. Now integrate all the components and then add melted unsalted butter. Just like savory masa, grab a ball and close your fist. If it slides through your fingers, it's done. Save some sweet masa aside to make the oreo tamales.
  • Take the corn husks out of the water and wipe them dry and clean. To build the tamales extend a husk on a clean surface. Remember to add the masa to the smooth side, not the rugged one. Use a spoon to make a thin and uniform layer of masa, making a rectangle. Follow this procedure for both sweet and savory tamales.

Pizza

  • Spread the savory masa on the husk. In the center spread a couple of spoonfuls of marinara sauce, mozzarella, and slices of pepperoni. Now fold and close the tamal.

Oreo

  • Mix some sweet masa with crushed oreos. The masa will get a bit hard, so it's important to add some milk to soften it a bit. Then, spread the Oreo's masa on the husk. For the filling, put a couple of Oreos in the center, one next to the other. Fold and close the tamal, like the others.
  • To cook the tamales place on a steamer or a tamalera. It's important to line them vertically, forming circles around the edges with the tamales standing on their bottoms.
  • If your steamer comes with a lid, be careful not to press the top of the tamales.
  • Depending on your steamer, you can take about 1 hour to cook your tamales. Let them steaming and check after about that time to see if they're done.
  • When the tamal slips easily when unfolding, it's ready to serve. So, take them out carefully from the steamer and serve.

Chilaquiles

  • Start spreading savory the masa on the husk. Then, in the center put a spoonful of salsa and then the chilaquiles filling. Top with cotija cheese, fold, and close the tamal.

Chocolate cupcake

  • This is the biggest tamal we built, because the chocolate cupcake or Pingüino is quite big. Start spreading sweet masa on the husk, and then place the chocolate cupcake in the middle. Cover the cupcake with sweet masa and then fold to close the tamal.

Nutella & Strawberries

  • In the center, spread two tablespoons of Nutella, put some strawberry slices on top, and finish with a couple of marshmallows. To close the tamal use the husk to wrap the masa. Ensure that both ends meet so that the filling is properly covered with masa. Then, fold one of the husk sides first, and then the other to close the tamal. Fold the narrow end to protect the base, pressing a bit the bottom. This will be the part of the tamal that will rest on the steamer or tamalera.

Video

Keyword Savory Tamales, Sweet Tamales, Tamal, Tamales