Mexican desserts are often overlooked when you think of Mexican cuisine. The desserts, however, are as flavorful as the more well-known foods. Mexican desserts reflect European and native influences, using strong traditional spices and flavors such as chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and anise. The variety of flavors and unexpected combinations create a large selection of cakes, custards and cookies that define Mexican desserts.
Custards and Puddings
Custards, ice cream and puddings are common dessert items in Mexican cuisine. Flan is probably the best-known Mexican dessert. It is a sweet, creamy egg custard that has a crunchy caramel topping. Traditional flan is vanilla-flavored, but once you have mastered the recipe it is easy to add your own flavors, such as cinnamon, lime or coconut, to the flan.
Arroz con leche, or rice with milk, is a sweet and hearty dessert similar to rice pudding. Mexican arroz con leche is flavored with cinnamon sticks, condensed sweetened milk and nutmeg, and dotted with pieces of almonds or walnuts. The rice pudding is creamy and thick, usually served warm with a pat of butter melted into it.
Fried ice cream is another popular Mexican desert in which vanilla ice cream is coated in a coconut and flour mixture. It is then deep-fried to form a crispy coating while the ice cream melts slowly inside.
Breads
Sweet breads and fried breads make up a large portion of Mexican desserts. The breads are often coated in sugars or honey and are usually made from a chewy, soft dough. Churros are fried dough sticks covered in cinnamon-sugar. Some churros are filled with vanilla custard. Sopapillas are fried dough triangles, coated with cinnamon-sugar or powdered sugar and often served with honey or warm chocolate for dipping. Both churros and sopapillas are served hot, often with coffee or hot chocolate.
There are various types of Mexican sweet breads that are served for dessert. Many are formed into decorative shapes and made from a flaky, crispy dough. Some sweet breads are studded with dry fruits and covered in a sweet orange glaze.
Cookies
Biscochitos are cookies similar to shortbread and are often formed in a fleur-de-lis shape. They are flavored with anise or almond extract and vanilla and are generally dusted with powdered sugar. Biscochitos are an elegant, light dessert served with a sweet dessert wine.
Authentic Mexican sugar cookies are often served at parties and weddings. They come in a variety of shapes based on the occasion and are flavored with anise and orange extract. These cookies, like the biscochitos, are similar to shortbread with a very rich and crumbly texture.
Pastries with Fillings
Empanadas are baked or fried pastries usually filled with meats and cheeses. There are, however, many dessert versions of this Mexican staple. Dessert empanadas are often filled with traditional fruits such as guava, mango and apple. Some empanadas are filled with sweetened queso blanco (white cheese) and topped with a rich chocolate sauce often spiced with chile.
Chimichangas are another savory pastry that are transformed into delectable desserts. Flour tortillas are filled with fruits and nuts or sweetened cheese and then fried. The chimichangas are then topped with cinnamon sugar or slathered with a rich custard sauce.
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