Apple pie meets tamales in this delicious dessert tamale! Just 10 ingredients required for this fluffy, cake-like tamale stuffed with cinnamon-spiced apple butter!
FILLING: If you haven’t prepared your apple or pumpkin butter yet, do so now. Otherwise use store-bought to save time.
HUSKS: Soak the dried corn husks in a large bowl of warm water until pliable, ~15-20 minutes. Then drain, shake off any additional water, and pat dry with a towel. Keep wrapped in the damp towel until ready to use.
MASA: Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the masa harina, baking powder, coconut sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger (optional). Set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, beat (or whisk) the softened vegan butter with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of apple juice and the vanilla extract until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and beat (or whisk) until combined.
Add the rest of the apple juice 1-2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Beat (or whisk) on high for several minutes until a sticky dough that resembles peanut butter or thick cake batter forms (see photo). You may not have to use all of the apple juice. Set aside.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt to taste (for flavor balance), cinnamon for warmth, ginger for spice (optional), or coconut sugar for sweetness. You want the masa to be pretty flavorful with a noticeable amount of salt for depth to balance the sweetness of the apple butter filling. Set aside.
ASSEMBLY: Arrange so the wide end of the husk is closest to you and ensure no residual water is left on the husk (pat dry as needed). Then place 2 heaping tablespoons of masa dough on the wider end of the corn husk and spread out into a thin, even layer toward one edge of the husk, leaving the narrow (upper) end empty (see photo).
Place about ~1 ½ tablespoons of apple butter along the center of the masa, creating a log lengthwise. Fold 1 side of the husk over the filling (toward the empty side of the husk), then keep rolling until the seams meet. With the tamale seam side up, fold the narrow end of the husk away from you and under the tamale. Set aside (upright in a loaf pan or bowl) and repeat with remaining tamales (as recipe is written, you should have ~24 tamales).
Place a steamer basket into a large pot and pour in enough water to fill just below the steamer basket. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low.
Place the tamales, standing upright (with their open ends up) in the steamer basket. Put the lid back on, and steam/simmer for 1 hour. The tamales are done when the husk pulls away from the dough easily, the masa appears puffy in appearance, and the tamale doesn’t feel limp or soggy. Let the tamales rest for 10 minutes uncovered (off the heat) before serving. During this time, they will continue to firm up and become even easier to unwrap from the husk. If you’re unsure if they’re done, remove one tamale and let it rest for 10 minutes outside of the pot to see if it unwraps easily. If it’s still sticky or tender, return to the pot and continue steaming for another 5-10 minutes until it's firm and easy to unwrap.
To serve, unwrap tamales and enjoy warm as is, or top with vegan vanilla ice cream, coconut whipped cream, vegan caramel sauce (or a drizzle of maple syrup or date syrup), and/or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Store cooled tamales covered in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop until hot.
To freeze, let tamales cool, then add to a parchment-lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Freeze until firm, then transfer to a well-sealed container where they should keep for at least 1 month, oftentimes longer. To cook from frozen, let thaw, then heat either in the microwave or in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop until hot. Or microwave for 1 minute, remove husk, and then continue heating in the microwave or in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop until hot.
Video
Notes
*Prep/cook time does not include making apple butter.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with our homemade apple butter and without optional ingredients.