Mexican Christmas Traditions

Polvorones

73 · Jan 3, 2021 · 4 Comments

These crumbly, buttery shortbread cookies known as polvorones or Mexican wedding cookies melt in your mouth. This particular recipe was passed down from my grandmother and one that my family enjoys every year between Christmas and Día de los Reyes Magos. I especially love to eat them alongside a mug of ponche navideño, champurrado, or spicy Mexican hot chocolate. These are also delicious to eat with rompope, the Mexican version of eggnog!

The origin and many names of Mexican wedding cookies

These cookies, in general, are often referred to as having European origins, and many versions exist.

The Moors brought a type of these cookies to Spain when they occupied the country from the 700s through the 1400s. When Spaniards settled in Mexico, nuns who traveled to the new world brought their knowledge of these cookies as well, and that's how polvorones became known in Mexico as beloved convent sweets.

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Atole de nuez

101 · Oct 25, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Atole de nuez is a traditional milk and masa-based beverage flavored with toasted pecans and piloncillo.

Served hot, this creamy beverage is the perfect way to warm up on cold fall or winter mornings. Atole is often served for breakfast, but can also be served throughout the day or after dinner, too. My father-in-law always had a mug of atole with his coyotas, a Sonoran pastry, after dinner at a restaurant he loved in Coyoacan.

a mug of atole de nuez served on mexican talavera pottery with pan dulce

Atoles come in many flavors; most are thickened with corn masa. When it comes to the main liquid, most are made with water, milk, or a combination of the two. Champurrado and vanilla atole are the most typical flavors, but others, such as pumpkin atole, strawberry atole, as well as grain (such as amaranth), fruit and nut flavors, also exist. There are even some types of atole that are savory rather than sweet.

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Roles de canela

49 · Oct 20, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Roles de canela are one of the most common types of pan dulce you’ll see in a Mexican bakery. These fluffy cinnamon rolls have a dough base made from masa bizcocho, the same dough that's used to make conchas and other popular types of pan dulce.

I love making these cinnamon rolls around the holidays, especially when I’m visiting family or they’re visiting me. Cooking for my family is my love language, so a breakfast spread with fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls hot from the oven, served with milk, hot chocolate or coffee on the side is an extra special way to let them know how much I love them. In fact, some of my happiest family holiday memories are of sitting around the table together, enjoying a meal and each other's company.

mexican cinnamon rolls drizzled with icing

If you're a pan dulce-lover you should check out my Guide to Mexican Pan Dulce with photos and descriptions of dozens of types of Mexican sweet bread! Some of my other favorite types of pan dulce to make at home include conchas, pan de muerto, orejas, and garibaldi.

It's important that when baking for my family that I use traditional recipes that taste just like they always have, which means no skimping or substituting ingredients. It's got to taste like it came from abuelita's kitchen!

Ingredients you'll need for this recipe

It’s easier to make your own roles de canela than you might think! The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise twice. You can also make this dough the night before and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

There are three key ingredients to making the dough that you should not substitute.

Whole milk: Many baking recipes call for whole milk because it provides structure, flavor and moisture. The fat in whole milk also contributes to the tenderness of the bread.

Whole milk not only serves as a crucial structural ingredient to this recipe, but also helps achieve that perfectly browned color on top, while keeping the inside moist and fluffy.

milk in a pitcher in the foreground in front of a pan of mexican cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven

Bread flour: You want to use this because it contains more protein and therefore can absorb the milk and other liquid in this high-hydration dough in order to give it its elasticity and make it both light and chewy.

Fast-rise or instant yeast: This type of yeast does not need to be activated before you use it, so it makes the recipe quicker and easier. You'll throw the yeast in the mixing bowl with the other dry ingredients and save a couple steps and a little time in prep work.

You’ll also need:

Granulated sugar
1 Large egg
Unsalted butter
Pure vanilla extract
Kosher Salt
Dark brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Pecans
Powdered sugar

Kitchen tools you'll need

For perfect pan dulce every time, I recommend the following tools:

A kitchen scale to ensure your ingredient measurements are precise
A bench scraper to help you make more precise cuts in the dough
A greased 6-quart clear food container or large glass bowl to give the dough room to proof properly
A stand mixer with a dough hook attachment

Note: While you CAN knead this dough by hand, it is absolutely tedious to do so and takes a lot longer. I highly recommend using a stand mixer to do the hard work for you.

How to make roles de canela

Make your dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment following the directions below in the recipe. Add ingredients in the order listed.

This is a high-hydration dough, meaning it will be sticky. The dough is ready to come out of the mixer when it mostly pulls away from the sides and sticks to the hook. Do not add extra flour to the dough, as the bread flour will absorb the liquid as the dough rises. Allow dough to rise undisturbed until it’s doubled in size, about two hours.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling and glaze. Add room temperature unsalted butter, ground cinnamon, dark brown sugar, pure vanilla extract and salt to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and combine on medium speed until the filling looks like a paste.

To prepare the glaze, mix powdered sugar and whole milk in a small bowl and set aside.

Once the dough has doubled in size, sprinkle all-purpose flour on your work surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Turn the dough out onto the surface and gently roll into a 9x13 rectangle shape. Be sure not to roll the dough too thin, as this will prevent it from rising properly during the second rise, and absorbing sugar during the baking process.

Use a spoon or offset spatula to gently spread the filling over the rectangle-shaped dough, leaving ½ inch around the edges.

spreading cinnamon roll filling on the dough

Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the filling.

Cinnamon roll dough spread with cinnamon sugar butter filling and sprinkled with chopped pecans

Roll from the long side inward and tuck the dough seam underneath.

Use your bench scraper to cut 6-12 equally sized rolls and place in a 9x9 parchment-paper lined pan and cover with a lightweight kitchen towel. Allow to rise again, undisturbed, for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until rolls have doubled in size.

After the second rise, the rolls should look like this:

Bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the top of the rolls are sufficiently browned but not burned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then drizzle glaze over the top of the rolls in a diagonal pattern. Allow the glaze to set for 10 minutes before serving.

What to serve with roles de canela

At home, I love to pair my pan dulce with warm beverages, especially on chilly fall and winter mornings. Here are some of my favorite drinks with milk you can either use to drink or dunk your pan dulce:

Roles de canela

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Author: Maura Wall Hernandez
Prep Time: 25 minutes active, 4 hours inactive
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 40 minutes
Yield: 9 rolls 1x
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Mexican

Print Recipe

Description

Roles de canela are Mexico's answer to the cinnamon roll and are one of the most common types of pan dulce seen in a panadería.

Ingredients

Scale

For the bread:

200 grams bread flour
36 grams granulated sugar
5 grams fast-rise instant yeast
100 grams whole milk
1 large egg, room temperature
40 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 grams kosher salt

For the filling:

113 grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pinch kosher salt
½ cup raw pecans, chopped

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 ½ tablespoons whole milk

For greasing the container where you’ll proof the dough:

Cooking spray

For flouring your work surface:

All-purpose flour, as needed

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Instructions

Add bread flour, sugar, and fast-rise instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, turn mixer to speed 2 to combine dry ingredients.
Add warm milk, 1 large egg, and butter to the bowl and increase speed to 4 for 5 minutes.
Add pure vanilla extract and kosher salt to the bowl and continue to mix on speed 4 for about another 10 minutes, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and mostly gathers around the hook. You may need to stop the mixer partway through to scrape down the sides with a spatula so no dough is wasted.
Prepare a large glass bowl or a 6-quart food container with lid for proofing the dough by spraying the inside with cooking spray so the dough won’t stick to the sides.
Turn the dough out from the stand mixer bowl into the bowl or container to proof and cover. Allow dough to rise undisturbed for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Once dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured surface (use all-purpose flour for this part, just enough so the dough doesn’t stick to your work surface). Gently roll out to 9x13 with a floured rolling pin. It’s OK if your dough isn’t a perfect rectangle.
In a stand mixer, make the filling with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar first, then add ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract and kosher salt. Mix on speed 4 until well combined.
Using a spoon or offset spatula, spread the filling mixture on your rolled out dough, leaving about ½ inch around the edges.
Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the filling and gently roll starting with the long side inward. Tuck the dough seam underneath the roll.
Using a bench scraper or very sharp knife, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Arrange them in a 9x9 parchment paper-lined pan and cover with a kitchen towel for the second rise, until doubled in size. This should take about an hour and a half to two hours.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, until the tops and sides are sufficiently browned but not burned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling the icing. Allow icing to set for 10 minutes and serve immediately.

Notes

TO MAKE THE DOUGH AHEAD OF TIME: Make the dough the night before and allow it to rise overnight in the refrigerator. Keep the bowl or container covered so the dough does not lose moisture. The cold temperature of the refrigerator will slow the growth of the yeast, but overnight will be plenty of time for the dough to double in size. It’s OK if it rises a bit more. If it hasn’t risen enough, allow it to rise for about 30 minutes on your countertop undisturbed.

Pan de muerto

168 · Oct 5, 2020 · 5 Comments

Pan de muerto is a yeasted sweet bread perfumed with orange blossom water or orange zest and dusted with a sugar topping. This pan dulce is typically eaten to celebrate Day of the Dead and is also given as an offering on altars for Día de los Muertos.

close up of Mexican pan de muerto on a baking sheet

In fact, the most common offering on an altar for Día de los Muertos, aka Day of the Dead, is pan de muerto (literally: "bread of the dead"). Alongside other items included in the ofrenda, the bread is intended to honor the souls of our loved ones who return to visit us and give them nourishment. Other items on the altar may include food and drinks loved by the deceased, trinkets and other symbolic offerings such as marigold flowers (known in Spanish as cempazuchitl), sugar skulls, papel picado, candles and more. You can read more about the symbolic elements of the altar in my post about How to Celebrate Day of The Dead. This holiday is celebrated on November 2, known to Catholics as All Souls' Day.

Mexican Day of the Dead altar with pan de muerto and other symbolic elements

Pan de muerto represents an earthly gift and the generosity of the host. The bread dough contains orange blossom water and is often topped with sugar or sesame seeds, depending on the region of Mexico. The dough decorating the top represents bones.

Depending on the region of Mexico you visit this time of year, you may notice that there are other forms this bread can take such as little people, dolls or half-moons. The traditional shape is round with the dough arranged on the top to represent bones. The dough ingredients may also vary slightly according to region, sometimes containing anise seeds or orange zest. In Mexico City, the sugar topping is the most popular. Some areas of Mexico use pink or red sugar, but the most common is plain, uncolored sugar.

In the past, it was common for pan de muerto to be sold in panaderías only a few days prior to Día de los Muertos, but with the growing interest in the holiday outside of Mexico and modern supply and demand marketing, you’re likely to see pan de muerto in grocery stores and some bakeries in Mexico City as early as late August and early September. Even for those who don’t actually celebrate the holiday, it’s common to buy pan de muerto to consume this time of year.

Mexican pan de muerto fresh from the oven on a baking sheet sitting atop a cooling rack

The pan de muerto form you see pictured here is the most common you'll find in Mexico City; the round base represents a grave mound covering the coffin, the dough shaped like bones represents the arms and legs, and the ball of dough on top represents the skull. The bread itself is made from the same masa bizcocho dough that is used to make conchas, roles de canela, pan de anís, novias, chilindrinas, rebanadas and other similar types of Mexican pan dulce.

You might also like: A-Z Guide to Mexican Pan Dulce

In Oaxaca, the base of pan de muerto is made with their traditional pan de yema, and is sometimes adorned with sesame seeds. In other areas of Mexico, this bread carries other names and has more elaborate decoration as well.

This recipe can make 6 small individual rolls, 4 medium individual rolls, or 2 large pan de muerto breads for sharing with up to 4 people. If you want to make this recipe as one large bread, you may need to adjust the baking time by adding a few minutes.

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Authentic Elotes Locos

72 · Sep 10, 2020 · 1 Comment

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #McCormickMayonesa #MayonesaAtKroger

Elotes locos are a variation on the traditional elotes sold by street vendors, but dressed with a spicy topping on the outside.

corn cobs covered in butter, mayonnaise, crushed spicy corn chips and cotija cheese, on a blue and white talavera plate, surrounded by limes

Traditional elotes, also known as Mexican street corn, are either grilled or boiled and then slathered with mayonnaise and sprinkled with chile powder and cotija cheese. Mexican street corn sold in a cup is called either elote en vaso or esquites.

What makes this version called elotes locos (literally: crazy corn) is actually the fuego-flavored hot corn chip crumbs they're rolled in. But in general, any topping that is not the traditional version can be called elotes locos. These are a very popular snack among Mexico City street food stalls and roaming vendors, especially with teenagers! When we lived in Los Angeles, they were also easy to find at small Mexican family-owned food businesses, street cart vendors, food trucks and even at some restaurants that cater to Mexican customers or mainstream customers who love Mexican food.

Since we moved back to Chicago from Los Angeles, I do a lot of my shopping at Mariano's because they have a great selection of my favorite Mexican products, and they even stock my McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice, which I use for making these elotes locos. Flavored mayos are HUGE in Mexico, and McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice is the O.G.!

What's also great about using a flavored mayonnaise in this recipe is that there's no added moisture from lime juice since it's already in there. This means the consistency of the mayonnaise suspends the chip crumb coating without making it soggy.

McCormick Mayonesa with lime juice on a marble countertop with a lime leaning against the jar and corn cobs in the background

Ingredients you'll need for this recipe

This recipe is very simple and I purchased all my ingredients at Mariano's, which is part of the Kroger family of stores. You should be able to easily find all the ingredients at just about any grocery store.

Butter - I prefer salted butter for this recipe, but you can swap for unsalted butter if you prefer. The way it melts and emulsifies with the mayonnaise is pure magic.

McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice - This mayonnaise comes with the lime juice already built in for a tangy twist that brightens the flavor. If you've ever eaten this product in Mexico, you'll be happy to know that it's the same exact formula and is imported from Mexico.

Cotija cheese - This dry, aged salty cheese has a strong flavor and aroma, similar to parmesan cheese (but its consistency is different). Look for either a whole block of cotija you can crumble by hand or one that's already grated or crumbled into little pebbles. You don't want to use cotija that's grated so fine that it resembles sawdust.

Fuego-flavored spicy corn chips - You can choose whatever fuego-flavored hot and spicy corn chips you like best. The idea is to crush them down to a crumb so you can roll the corn in it after you've covered it in salted butter and McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice.

How to make elotes locos

Start by preparing your corn. Make sure you remove as much of the corn silk as possible. A vegetable brush is a great tool to do this, but if you don't have one, you can rub the corn ear with your hands under running water.

You're going to also get all your ingredients out in advance and have them ready to go, as once you pull the corn out of the boiling water, you want to finish dressing them as quickly as possible so they're still warm while you eat it.

I recommend that you bring your butter to room temperature ahead of time, or microwave it in 15-second increments until soft, but not melted.

There are two ways to get your fuego-flavored hot corn chips down to a crumb state: you can either put them in a zip-top bag and crush them by hand, or pulse them in your food processor. Either way is fine depending on what tools you have in your kitchen! Mix your hot corn chip crumbs and cotija cheese while the corn is cooking to make application easy.

Once your corn comes out of the pot, you'll want to also have a pair of kitchen tongs handy. Turn the corn cob on one side and use a sharp knife to cut a half-inch X-shaped slit in the middle of the cob. This will allow you to easily insert the popsicle stick handles.

Aluminum foil is my secret weapon for assembling elotes locos without making a big mess! Put the foil down on your countertop, put the cooked corn on top of it, add the butter and McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice and turn the corn cobs against each other to help evenly distribute the ingredients and make sure they're fully covered.

Then all that's left to do is roll each corn cob in the chip crumb and cotija cheese mixture and you're ready to eat!

Corn cobs covered in McCormick Mayonesa with lime juice, spicy corn chip crumbs and cotija cheese, sitting on a blue and white talavera plate on top of a white dish towel and surrounded by a mayonnaise jar and limes

PRO TIP: If you don't like to eat the corn straight off the cob, you can also make this recipe following all the directions and then turn the corn upside down with the popsicle stick handle facing up, and cut the corn off the cob with a serrated knife onto a plate or into a bowl.

For more ideas on how to use McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice to liven up your recipes and to find it at a store near you, visit mccormick.com.

Mexican elotes locos on a blue and white talavera plate on top of a white kitchen towel surrounded by a mayonnaise jar and limes