Apple Butter Dessert Tamales

Fluffy masa dough is whipped with vegan butter and vanilla, sweetened with apple juice and coconut sugar, and spiced with cinnamon and ginger, then stuffed with our date-sweetened apple butter and cooked until fluffy and tender! The result is a cake-like sweet and spicy tamale oozing with apple pie flavor. Just 10 ingredients required. Let us show you how it’s done!

What are Tamales?

Tamales are believed to have originated in Mesoamerica (a region that includes parts of Mexico and Central America). They consist of a corn-based (masa) shell and flavorful filling that’s wrapped in either a corn husk or a banana leaf and then steamed. While you may be more familiar with tamales stuffed with a savory filling, tamales are also enjoyed with sweet fillings, including various fruits. You can learn about different variations and find a more traditional Mexican sweet tamale recipe from Mexico in My Kitchen.

How to Make Apple Butter Dessert Tamales

These tamales begin with the sweet masa dough, which includes tamale classics like masa harina, salt, and baking powder. We infuse the dough with coconut sugar and apple juice for sweetness, vegan butter to make it rich and flaky, and cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla for fall flavors. The filling is our incredibly delicious, date-sweetened apple butter, which is made by cooking apples down into a luscious, caramelized spread. It’s one of our favorite ingredients to make and have around during apple season, but if you’re in a hurry, choose store-bought or make homemade pumpkin butter instead. With the filling and masa dough ready, it’s time to make tamales! Spread the dough in a dried corn husk, top with apple butter filling, and start rolling. When the seams of the corn husk meet (photo above), fold the narrow end of the husk under the tamale (photo below) and place the tamale in a steamer basket for cooking. Repeat with the remaining tamales and steam the big batch all at once. While these tamales require a little extra planning and preparation, this recipe yields a large batch, so you can store them in the freezer to enjoy whenever a dessert craving strikes. We hope you LOVE these dessert tamales! They’re:Perfectly sweetTenderFluffyCinnamon-infusedWarm& SO delicious! Enjoy them as is or serve with vegan vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream and our vegan caramel sauce. They’re the perfect dessert to serve at a dinner party or large gathering!