Tamales are self-contained meals, made with both sweet and savory fillings and conveniently wrapped in their own compostable plates. Since they’re usually made en masse, tamales are a Mexican food staple, appearing most often at parties and celebrations. 

Each winter, [Chef Gabriela Cámara](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/gabriela-camara-teaches-mexican-cooking), of Mexico City’s Contramar, San Francisco’s Cala, and Onda in Los Angeles, favors a guava filling for sweet tamales while the tropical fruit is in season, but feel free to try this recipe with other high-pectin fruits, which make for jammy fillings—plums, apples, pineapple, and berries are all excellent choices. 


Gabriela Cámara’s Sweet Tamales de Guayaba Recipe

1. __Use butter__. Although lard is traditionally used in Mexican cooking to add fat to the masa, Gabriela uses butter in her recipe, whipping it in a standing mixer until it’s very fluffy before adding the fresh masa. Incorporating a lot of air will help the tamal retain a light texture when cooked. 
2. __Wrap it well__. The second trick to a good tamal is wrapping it well to ensure that it won’t fall apart once it’s in the steamer. The traditional tamal wrapping is a corn husk, but some tamales are wrapped in banana leaves; corn husks are better for firm or dry fillings, while banana leaves are used more often to contain very wet or soupy fillings, like barbacoa.
3. __Try__ *__piloncillo__* __sugar__. The guava filling in this recipe calls for *piloncillo*, or unrefined whole cane sugar that looks like a craggy brown cone (you can find it at Latin markets). If you can’t track down piloncillo at any stores near you, mix 220 grams of brown sugar with 40 grams of molasses. You’ll also need cinnamon for the filling, so keep an eye out for Mexican cinnamon sticks, known as canela, which are rich and flavorful (you can use ground cinnamon in a pinch). 
Tamales are self-contained meals, made with both sweet and savory fillings and conveniently wrapped in their own compostable plates. Since they’re usually made en masse, tamales are a Mexican food staple, appearing most often at parties and celebrations. 

Each winter, [Chef Gabriela Cámara](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/gabriela-camara-teaches-mexican-cooking), of Mexico City’s Contramar, San Francisco’s Cala, and Onda in Los Angeles, favors a guava filling for sweet tamales while the tropical fruit is in season, but feel free to try this recipe with other high-pectin fruits, which make for jammy fillings—plums, apples, pineapple, and berries are all excellent choices. 


<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Use butter. Although lard is traditionally used in Mexican cooking to add fat to the masa, Gabriela uses butter in her recipe, whipping it in a standing mixer until it’s very fluffy before adding the fresh masa. Incorporating a lot of air will help the tamal retain a light texture when cooked. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Wrap it well. The second trick to a good tamal is wrapping it well to ensure that it won’t fall apart once it’s in the steamer. The traditional tamal wrapping is a corn husk, but some tamales are wrapped in banana leaves; corn husks are better for firm or dry fillings, while banana leaves are used more often to contain very wet or soupy fillings, like barbacoa. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Try piloncillo sugar. The guava filling in this recipe calls for piloncillo, or unrefined whole cane sugar that looks like a craggy brown cone (you can find it at Latin markets). If you can’t track down piloncillo at any stores near you, mix 220 grams of brown sugar with 40 grams of molasses. You’ll also need cinnamon for the filling, so keep an eye out for Mexican cinnamon sticks, known as canela, which are rich and flavorful (you can use ground cinnamon in a pinch). </li></ol>

3 Tricks For Making Sweet Tamales 

Gabriela Cámara’s Tamales de Guayaba Recipe

Tamales are self-contained meals, made with both sweet and savory fillings and conveniently wrapped in their own compostable plates. Since they’re usually made en masse, tamales are a Mexican food staple, appearing most often at parties and celebrations. Each winter, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/classes/gabriela-camara-teaches-mexican-cooking' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/classes/gabriela-camara-teaches-mexican-cooking","linkCopy":"Chef Gabriela Cámara","category":null}'>Chef Gabriela Cámara</a>, of Mexico City’s Contramar, San Francisco’s Cala, and Onda in Los Angeles, favors a guava filling for sweet tamales while the tropical fruit is in season, but feel free to try this recipe with other high-pectin fruits, which make for jammy fillings—plums, apples, pineapple, and berries are all excellent choices.

Tamales are self-contained meals, made with both sweet and savory fillings and conveniently wrapped in their own compostable plates. Since they’re usually made en masse, tamales are a Mexican food staple, appearing most often at parties and celebrations. 
Each winter, Chef Gabriela Cámara (https://www.masterclass.com/classes/gabriela-camara-teaches-mexican-cooking), of Mexico City’s Contramar, San Francisco’s Cala, and Onda in Los Angeles, favors a guava filling for sweet tamales while the tropical fruit is in season, but feel free to try this recipe with other high-pectin fruits, which make for jammy fillings—plums, apples, pineapple, and berries are all excellent choices. 
