Discover how to make Costa Rican tamales de masa—sweet, baked, and perfect for Holy Week. A family favorite served warm with coffee or aguadulce.

About Costa Rican Tamales de Masa

The Costa Rican tamales de masa, while eaten year-round, have a special cultural significance for Holy Week, or Semana Santa.

Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter Sunday, and it’s a very sacred time in all of Latin America. Costa Rica is no different. Schools and businesses are closed, and alcohol is not sold in stores. Many Costa Ricans spend the week at home with family and friends, attending religious processions and Catholic Mass.

Holy Week is a time to slow down, reflect, and spend time with family. These tamales take a little bit of time because you make them on the stovetop and then bake them, so the slow, lazy Holy Week is a great time to make them.

It’s also good to know that tamales de masa are baked, not boiled. They aren’t wrapped in banana leaves, and they are sweet rather than savory. The recipe uses masa dough, but milk and cheese are added for a smooth texture that resembles an overboiled pudding. You then bake the masa and serve it warm.

Other popular Holy Week recipes from Costa Rica:

• Empanadas de Chiverre
• Traditional Costa Rican Coffee Recipe
• Costa Rican Tamales Recipe
• Aguadulce Recipe

Tamales de Masa Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded white cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ stick of butter
• 3 cups buttermilk (warmed to room temperature)
• 2 cups Maseca (or other corn-based masa)
• 1½ cups granulated white sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt

Preparation

You can combine everything in several bowls, but to save time washing dishes at the end, I do everything in the same large saucepan.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with non-stick spray, or line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  

(This step is totally optional, but I like to spend less time scrubbing pots and more time eating delicious treats, and this definitely helps with cleanup.)

Start by shredding the cheese, beating the eggs, and melting the butter in separate areas.  Set each aside.

Combine the room temperature buttermilk and the Maseca until a tamal dough is formed.  This is best done with your hands!  Add the rest of the ingredients to the masa mixture and stir until combined.

Place the pot, uncovered, on medium heat and leave, untouched, until the dough begins to boil.  Remove from heat.

Warning: It’s really easy to scald this dough on the bottom of the pan.  When mine burns a bit, I just scrape the top out with a spatula and discard the burned bits.  You definitely have to stay on top of this step, though. I would say it takes about 15 minutes.

Immediately pour the dough into the baking dish and place it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, checking every 10 minutes until done.  You will know this is done when it is golden brown on top.

Remove from oven, and let cool completely before cutting into thick slices.  

Serve with coffee, agua dulce, or other beverage of choice.  ¡Buen provecho!

Substitutions

*For these tamales de masa, you can use any type of shredable white cheese.  I have found it impossible to find cheeses similar enough to the Costa Rican ones here in Colorado, but I have found that Mexican-style queso panela works well, especially because instead of shredding, it’s easy to crumble.

*I use American-style sour cream in these tamales de masa because it doesn’t seem to change the taste of this particular recipe, and it’s cheaper at the grocery store.  However, I’m sure you could use Mexican-style crema or Central American-style natilla as well.

Tamales de Masa – Serving Suggestions

Definitely serve with a hot drink and good company. The most popular hot drinks in Costa Rica are a cup of coffee, aguadulce, chamomile tea, and hot chocolate.

RELATED RECIPES:

COSTA RICAN TRES LECHES RECIPE

TORTA CHILENA

Arroz con leche (Costa Rican Rice Pudding)

Printable Recipe

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