Most Tasty Mexican Candy According to a Mexican Chef
Mexican candy is simply unique and as a Mexican chef, it’s an honor to be in charge of writing this sweet list for you.
One of the most delicious flavors is sugar, without any doubt. Candies have been part of our life for a long time, and can be found in all the cultures of the world. Fortunately!
It is well known that Mexican cuisine was enriched with spices and fruits after the conquest by the Spaniards, complementing the country’s endogenous ingredients – including chili, which means that some Mexican candies are not only sweet but spicy too!
Let’s discover the most popular Mexican candy, including some of my personal favorites!
Sweet List:
1. Alegrías
Everyone loves its crispy texture! They are made with honey and amaranth. Sometimes raisins, nuts, or sunflower seeds are added. Deliciously healthy!
2. Muéganos
Imagine how soft these are inside. They’re full of flavor and melt in your mouth! These delicacies are rectangular pieces of bread, about 5cm long and 2cm thick, made with wheat flour, anise, lard, salt, and cinnamon. It is baked and bathed in a thick syrup of piloncillo and cinnamon.
3. Palanquetas
This yummy and crispy candy is based on caramel, honey, or piloncillo. It is simmered until thickened and peanuts, sunflower seeds, or nuts re added. It is then spread out on a tray with parchment paper and allowed to harden.
Once hardened, it is cut into bars. You won’t want just one.
4. Dulce de Camote (Sweet Potato Candy)
A sweet and soft candy that melts in your mouth! Puebla-style sweet potato candy is prepared with water, sugar, lemon, or orange essence. Then it is mashed, molded into a tube, and wrapped in wax paper. It is sold in small boxes in local shops and markets.
5. Cocadas
You’ll love its creaminess! It is prepared with grated coconut, sugar, and egg yolks. They are shaped into balls or bars, placed on a tray, and baked. You can also add vanilla or lemon. Gosh!
6. Ate
As sweet and delicious as compote! It is made with the pulp of quince, guava, or tejocote. It is cooked in water with sugar in a copper pot until it gives off an aroma and becomes transparent.
The sweetness of a mango, pumpkin, zapote, apple, and other natural fruit flavors in every bite!
7. Glorias
The queen of queens, the favorite, the most delicious of all! It is made with raw milk, sugar, walnuts, and baking soda. It can be made with cow’s milk, but the original recipe is with goat’s milk. It does tastes like glory!
8. Dulce Cristalizado (Crystalized Candy)
The sweetest natural candy you’ll ever taste! The most common fruits used to make these sweets are fig, apple, nopal, sweet potato, and pumpkin. Fig is the king here!
The fruit is immersed in a solution of lime and water for 24 hours. After, it is bathed in sugar syrup or piloncillo to sweeten and preserve it, and allowed to cool. You can eat it as is, or use it to decorate desserts.
9. Alfajor de Coco
Imagine milky coconut and sugar powder melting in your mouth… wow! They are made with grated coconut, sugar and evaporated milk. The ingredients are combined to form a dough.
It is given a rectangular shape and one of its sides is painted with an edible pink dye.
10 Tortitas de Sta Clara
Mexican cookies that taste like heaven with the first bite! They’re stuffed with a nice thick, sweet sauce made with ground pumpkin seeds, sugar, water, and milk. I can’t eat just one…they’re addictive!
11. Jamoncillo
Caramel melting in 3,2,1… Eat only a little of this delicacy and you will never want to take it out of your cupboard! It’s made with milk and sugar. You can decorate them with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, or walnuts.
12. Rollo de Guayaba
Creamy and fruity guava pulp is boiled in water and smashed until a pure pulp is formed. Once the caramel has cooled down a little, add sugar, roll it up, and enjoy!
13. Borrachitos
These creamy snacks full of liquor are made with cornstarch, fruit, milk, and sugar cane alcohol (or rum). They have a soft and fluffy consistency.
The word “borrachito” means drunky. Interesting fact: 1 borrachito contains approximately 1.25ml of alcohol. And some people actually say 20 of these make you a little dizzy.
Spicy Mexican Cady:
1. Dulce de Tamarindo
No one can resist the flavor of these! This sweet is sold in various styles, such as in small clay pots, spheres, small cups, and spoons. It is made with tamarind pulp, guajillo pepper, árbol pepper, and sugar. Yum!
2. Gomita de Fresa con Chamoy
Spicy strawberry bites that explode in your mouth! The texture is soft and chewy, and its flavor is intense and slightly spicy. Take a look at this delicious easy-to-make recipe:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of fresh strawberries
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2 tsp of cornstarch
- 1/2 cup of chamoy paste
- 4 tsp of chili powder
- 1 lemon
- 3 cups of water
- 1 cup of vinegar
Step-by-step instructions:
Step 1 – Vinegar bath
Submerging strawberries in a vinegar bath is the most effective way to clean pesticide residues. Mix water and vinegar in a bowl, then add the strawberries and soak for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse them with cold water and pat them with a clean kitchen towel.
Step 2 – Blend
Use your blender to process your strawberries to a smooth, uniform puree.
Step 3 – Mix
Place your strawberry puree in a pan with sugar, chamoy, and chili powder. Bring to medium heat and stir until combined.
Step 4 – Dissolve
In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with the lemon juice.
Step 5 – Mix everything
Add the starch and lemon mixture to the puree. Keep stirring and cook until a very thick paste is formed.
Step 6 – Let it cool
Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature. Next, transfer it to a bowl and cover with plastic film. Once cool, put in the fridge for about an hour.
Step 7 – Enjoy!
Take it out of the fridge. Now, with your hands, form the paste into small balls and then cover them with chili powder.
To Sum Up
These tasty sweets and candies we present to you are homemade. But there are also commercial versions that you can find in stores or supermarkets that are just as delicious.
And remember, don’t be afraid of spicy! I’ve always thought we should be open to trying new flavors and things. That’s what life is all about, isn’t it?
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