Tamal de maíz dulce is a traditional Guanacaste dessert made with scraped fresh corn, milk, sugar, and margarine, blended and baked until golden.
It’s part of Guanacaste’s tradition of sweet corn tamales and breads.
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Costa Rican Sweet Corn Tamale
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Costa Rican
Ingredients
- 1 liter of milk
- 1 stick of margarine, melted
- 2½ cups of sugar
- 8 ears of sweet corn, kernels scraped
- 6 tablespoons of flour
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder (Royal)
- Margarine, for greasing
Preparation
- Blend, put the scraped corn, milk, melted margarine, sugar, flour, and baking powder in the blender and blend well.
- Bake, pour the mixture into a greased dish and bake at medium heat (about 180 °C / 350 °F) until golden.
Tips
- Scrape the ears well to get all the kernel pulp.
- Bake until the top is well browned.
Traditional variations
In Guanacaste there’s also tamal de elote wrapped in leaves, with ground fresh corn, margarine, cheese, and sugar, baked.
How to serve
Serve it warm or cold, in portions.
Recommended pairings
- Coffee
- Natilla
Did you know?
The Cocina Tradicional Costarricense recipe collection from the Ministry of Culture lists it among Guanacaste’s sweet breads and sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Guanacaste version is baked in a greased dish until golden.
Sweet corn ears, with the kernels scraped.
Yes, 2 teaspoons, plus 6 tablespoons of flour.
