IT'S FALL! My favorite time of year. I love everything about fall; The crisp air, the colors, the smells, and most of all the flavors. Cinnamon is the epitome of fall in my opinion and lately I have been craving its warm, sweet and savory flavor.
The other day I had arepas for the first time at a local Venezuelan restaurant. The savory cornmeal cakes reminded me of my Tia's sweet Mexican gorditas (similar to gorditas de horno) and I have been craving them lately, so I decided to make them. They are sort of like an unleavened cinnamon English muffin, so they pair very nicely with your morning coffee, tea, or spicy Mexican hot chocolate!
A few things to note about this recipe is that it utilizes piloncillo, a cone of unrefined cane sugar, which can be found at most mexican stores, if you are unable to find it you may substitute with regular brownsugar but the taste will not be the same. Also, this involves taking whole sticks of cinnamon and grinding them to fine pieces, so yes, there will be tiny chunks of cinnamon bark in the gorditas. If this doesnt appeal to you, you can use half the called for amount in regular powdered cinnamon.
Tia Sandra's Gorditas Dulces
4 cups whole wheat flour
12 oz piloncillo (Mexican brownsugar)
1/3 cup whole mexican cinnamon (3-4 sticks)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 lb shortening
Take the cinnamon sticks and pulse them in a blender, food processor or blade grinder until they are about 1/4 inch pieces. Combine the whole wheat flour and cinnamon and set aside. Dissolve the piloncillo in about 1 1/2 cups boiling water until completely dissolved and set aside to cool completely.
Add the shortening to the flour cutting it with two knives (or a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cooled water/piloncillo mizture in parts mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands after each addition until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl discard any remaining liquid.
Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and then roll each ball in flour to completely coat the outside.
Set the balls aside to rest for about an hour.
Heat a large griddle or thick non stick pan (I used my comal) on medium low heat. DO NOT USE OIL!!Roll out the balls with a rolling pin (or flatten with your hands as I did) to about 1/2 inch thickness. Slowly cook the gorditas until the inside is done. the outsides of the gorditas should be dark but not burnt. Lower the heat if they start to burn. This step is the most time consuming. The gorditas should take about 15 minutes each side to cook otherwise the inside will taste like raw flour.. There may be a way to cook all of them in the oven, but I haven't experimented.
Serve warm gorditas alongside a cup of a hot beverage of your choice. Enjoy!
The other day I had arepas for the first time at a local Venezuelan restaurant. The savory cornmeal cakes reminded me of my Tia's sweet Mexican gorditas (similar to gorditas de horno) and I have been craving them lately, so I decided to make them. They are sort of like an unleavened cinnamon English muffin, so they pair very nicely with your morning coffee, tea, or spicy Mexican hot chocolate!
A few things to note about this recipe is that it utilizes piloncillo, a cone of unrefined cane sugar, which can be found at most mexican stores, if you are unable to find it you may substitute with regular brownsugar but the taste will not be the same. Also, this involves taking whole sticks of cinnamon and grinding them to fine pieces, so yes, there will be tiny chunks of cinnamon bark in the gorditas. If this doesnt appeal to you, you can use half the called for amount in regular powdered cinnamon.
Tia Sandra's Gorditas Dulces
4 cups whole wheat flour
12 oz piloncillo (Mexican brownsugar)
1/3 cup whole mexican cinnamon (3-4 sticks)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 lb shortening
Take the cinnamon sticks and pulse them in a blender, food processor or blade grinder until they are about 1/4 inch pieces. Combine the whole wheat flour and cinnamon and set aside. Dissolve the piloncillo in about 1 1/2 cups boiling water until completely dissolved and set aside to cool completely.
Add the shortening to the flour cutting it with two knives (or a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cooled water/piloncillo mizture in parts mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands after each addition until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl discard any remaining liquid.
Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and then roll each ball in flour to completely coat the outside.
Set the balls aside to rest for about an hour.
Heat a large griddle or thick non stick pan (I used my comal) on medium low heat. DO NOT USE OIL!!Roll out the balls with a rolling pin (or flatten with your hands as I did) to about 1/2 inch thickness. Slowly cook the gorditas until the inside is done. the outsides of the gorditas should be dark but not burnt. Lower the heat if they start to burn. This step is the most time consuming. The gorditas should take about 15 minutes each side to cook otherwise the inside will taste like raw flour.. There may be a way to cook all of them in the oven, but I haven't experimented.
Serve warm gorditas alongside a cup of a hot beverage of your choice. Enjoy!
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