Blackberry and Pecan Tamales
Tamales de Zarzamora y Nuez
Recipe Yield
20 tamales
Cooking time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rate this recipe
Ingredients
- 25 dried corn husks
- 1 cup vegetable shortening or good quality lard
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 lb instant corn masa mix for tamales or about 3 1/4 cups, such as Maseca
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 12 oz blackberries rinsed
To Prepare
To make masa for tamales:
- Place the vegetable shortening or lard with 1 tablespoon of cold water in a mixer and beat, until very light and spongy, about 1 minute. Add the baking powder and salt, and then take turns adding the instant corn masa mix and the water. Continue beating until the dough is homogeneous and fluffy.
- Mix in the sugar and cinnamon and continue beating until everything is well mixed. You may also do it by hand.
- You know the tamal masa is ready if: 1. When you lift a big spoon with masa, drop it into the dough it falls “de golpe” or heavy. 2. It has the consistency of a medium thick cake batter. 3. If you place 1/2 teaspoon of masa in a cup of cold water and it floats.
To prepare the steamer:
- Place water in the pan of a steamer and bring it to a simmer. Line the steamer with one or two layers of corn husks. Use the dough to form about 20 corn husk wrapped tamales.
To make tamales:
- Soak the dried corn husks in hot water for a couple of minutes, until they are pliable and drain. Lay out a corn husk with the tapered ends facing towards you. Spread 3 to 4 tablespoons of the masa into a 2 to 3 inch square, the layer should be about 1/4 inch, leaving a boarder of at least 1/2 inch on the sides. Place 1 to 2 blackberries in the middle of the masa filling and sprinkle about a teaspoon of the pecans on top.
- Pick up the two long sides of the corn husk and bring them together, causing the masa to surround the berries and pecans and fold them to one side, rolling them in the same direction around the tamal. Fold up the empty section of the husk with the tapering end, from the bottom up. This will form a closed bottom and the top will be left open.
- Prepare the tamales and then place them vertically in a container. When you have them all ready, place them as vertically as you can in the prepared steamer, with the open end on top. If there is space left in the steamer, tuck in more corn husks so the tamales will not dance around. Cover with more corn husks and steam, covered for 50 minutes to an hour over medium heat. You know the tamales are ready when the tamales come easily free from the husks.
- Finished tamales will stay warm for about 1 to 2 hours in the steamer. They can be made ahead several days before and stored in the refrigerator, well wrapped. They can also be frozen for months. In either case, reheat in the steamer. For refrigerated tamales it will take about 15 minutes, and for frozen tamales about 45 minutes.
Comments
38comments inBlackberry and Pecan Tamales
Elizabeth Opiela
Dec 20
My 3 grandsons visit Texas every summer and we make tamales. They love putting their favorite fillings in, and having some to take back to Georgia and share with their parents. They love blackberries and I think we will try this recipe next summer!
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
Awesome Elizabeth! I hope these tamales will be liked by all the family 😉
Paula Carreno
Dec 17
Can you add more blackberries then two or three like four or five
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
Absolutely Paula, go for it!
Gerilynn Marse
Dec 16
Tamales are a love of mine. Sweet, savory! These sound delicious, can’t wait to try them.
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
Hope you’ll like them as much as I do Gerilynn!
Toni Walsh
Dec 15
Thank you
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
My pleasure Toni 😉
Judith L. Eastwood
Dec 12
These look so yummy, and I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Pati Jinich
Dec 19
My pleasure Judith, I hope you love them!
Jordan Matthew
Nov 09
this should NOT be allowed tobbe ewtan ever!!!!!! why make a tamale ssweet????? no reason to!!!!!!!!!!! stop this madness and make tamales normal!! #amketamalesnormal
Pati Jinich
Nov 09
Sweet tamales are very popular in Mexico Jordan and also delicious 🙂
Donna
Dec 12
I have been searching for a sweet tamal recipe for years. I am making your recipe but also will try will blueberries and cherries. Thank you so so much for your direction here
Judith L. Eastwood
Dec 12
Agreed
Gabriela Rameno
Dec 15
Yes sweet tamales are very popular in Mexico,my family enjoys them very much. Usually strawberry or pineapple.Thank you Pati this recipe looks delicious. Will have to try it!
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
So glad you liked it Gabriela! I love tamales with pineapple, yum!
Mari Juarez
Dec 28
Can’t wait to try making this tamales. I’m sure they’re delicious. I might use a little less sugar.
Pati Jinich
Dec 29
Gracias Mari, I hope you enjoy them!
San Juanita Trevino
Dec 15
I once had a sweet pink tamal. It had coconut in the masa. DELICIOUS. ADELANTE CON TUS IDEAS 🥰👍
Pati Jinich
Dec 20
Yes, I love pink sweet tamales with raisins!
Erin
Dec 26
A Pati recipe never fails. I used this as my inspiration and base recipe for a vegan dulce de leche, pecan, and blackberry tamal. In place of the sugar, I used 1 can of sweetened condensed coconut milk that I caramelized in my slow cooker, used vegan butter, and mixed the pecans directly into the masa. I also had HUGE blackberries so I cooked and crushed them a bit more like jam. The masa (raw and cooked) reminds me of a snickerdoodle cookie and goes great with the pecan and berries. Will be making these every year!
Pati Jinich
Dec 27
Wow, your twist sounds really yummy Erin, thanks so much for sharing!
Sheila Knight
Jul 04
Pati is so amazing with her cooking skills and taste food 🍱! Ican only watch her shows on the weekends because I can’t get in Illinois! Thank you Pati you
are GREAT!
Pati Jinich
Jul 04
Thanks so much for your kindness Sheila 😉
Alejandra Aullet
Nov 09
Me gustaria encontrar el video de como hacer esos tamales y de otros ingredientes..
Gracias por tus recetas, Saludos Pati! 🌹
Alejandra.
Pati Jinich
Nov 12
No tengo un video de como hacer esos tamales…lo siento, Alejandra.
Charolette
Dec 13
We make tamales together as a family every year at my in laws. I’ve been trying to find the perfect recipe for sweet tamales. Thank you so much for posting this.
Pati
Dec 13
I hope you and your whole family enjoy cooking and eating them together!
Vanessa
Feb 25
No matter what i do I cannot get the masa to pass the float test. I have tried beating the lard longer until it at least doubles in volume. I have tried using cold water instead of warm, and many other “tricks” I had read about preparing the masa. I have made your green chicken tamales and the masa always turns out perfectly but this recipe is making want to pull my hair out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My husband and I love your show and have had great success making many of your recipes, but this one I just can’t get right.
Pati
Mar 10
The two masas are actually very similar! Make the same masa as for the green tamales using water instead of broth, and just add the sweet filling 🙂
theresa
Jan 02
Can you use other fruits too beside blackberries
Pati
Jan 05
Yes for sure!
Vick Orozco
Jan 02
Tamales are definitely a must for us during the holidays! My parents are from Guadalajara, and my mom is quite the Tamale queen! But we’ve never had them like you’ve shown here! We will have to try them, que delicia!
Pati
Jan 02
Yay!
Yvette Carpenter
Dec 10
Love your show since day 1. Thanks for being you. I was looking for a sweet (but not too sweet) tamale recipe and this one looks great. We will be making it next Sunday 12/18/16, which is also my oldest 29th birthday.
Pati
Dec 13
Thank you so much for your kind words and for tuning in to the show, Yvette!
Bianca
May 15
Me too!! I’ve just stumbled onto your show a few weeks ago …let me just say I have loved how you have inspired me to cook more. Thank you for being so committed to your passion.
You inspire me !!!
Pati Jinich
May 16
Aw thank you, Bianca!!!