In The Community
Gansitos
Country of origin: Mexico
Gansitos are little snack cakes filled with creme and strawberry jelly and also covered entirely in a chocolate coating. Can you say yum? So many recall sweet memories of eating frozen Gansitos. We don’t know what our parents were thinking but we definitely know some of us might have had these for breakfast. But if poptarts count as breakfast food, Gansitos definitely make the cut, and IOHO they’re much tastier!
Alfajores
Country of origin: Cuba
From the outer crisp cookie to the dulce de leche filling, alfajores are melt in your mouth delicious! They're the perfect in-between of a cake and pan dulce and pair perfectly with your midday cafecito. They’re a little bite of heaven that no one can resist!
Tequeños
Country of origin: Venezuela
Simply put, Tequeños are an upgrade to the basic mozzarella cheese sticks. Made with crispy dough and fried until golden brown, we can’t stop ourselves from eating as many as we can. The perfect appetizer to kick off your party and show off your Latine cultura!
Elote En Vaso or Esquites
Country of origin: Mexico
We’ve always loved elotes, but an elote en vaso (AKA esquites in Mexico) is magic. Elotes are a little bit of the best of all the things you enjoy: queso, crema, chilito picoso and of course, the fresh corn (it’s not legit if it comes from a can). People stand in line for 30 to 45 minutes or more waiting to get their hands on a snack that they will devour in less than 10 minutes because the taste of corn in a cup is that amazing!
Pupusas
Country of origin: El Salvador
The greatest thing about stuffed cornmeal patties? They’re fully customizable! We love pupusas because they’re super filling and can be made to your liking. Pro tip: order them with curtido, a spicy cabbage, carrot, onion, and vinegar slaw. Warning: if you eat them with a fork, you might get side-eye.
Tostones
Country of origin: Caribbean and Latin America
Fried and salted plantains, anyone? Tostones were a staple growing up for many in Puerto Rican households. Some of our favorites are tostones de pana that our abuelas would make from scratch. You can’t forget the mayo ketchup on the side to add a bit of flavor to an already savory treat.
Pastelitos De Guayaba y Queso
Country of origin: Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico
Walk into any Latine bakery with a large Cuban, Puerto Rican, or Colombian population and you’ll probably always see pastelitos de guayaba y queso in the display case. These puff pastry desserts can be covered in powdered sugar or corn syrup but the base of guava and cream cheese always remains a constant.
Arepas
Country of origin: Colombia, Venezuela
Similar to the Salvadoran pupusa, arepas are a favorite for anyone looking for a handheld cornmeal-based snack stuffed with anything imaginable. We love ours with cheese and chicken, and if we’re feeling fancy we might throw some avocado on there too!
Quenepas/Mamoncillo
Country of origin: Many in Latin America and the Caribbean
Totis Donitas
Country of origin: Mexico
Totis Donitas are little wheat circles covered in lime and chile. These are a great portable snack for those on the go, and come in some flavor varieties as well we love to share.
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So now we go down two other chocolatey paths — a Mexican one and a Colombian one. What path will you choose?
Mexico
spicy fire breathing GIFGiphyHave you ever thought about making your hot chocolate spicy? In Mexico, spicy hot chocolate is totally normal. The Spicy Aztec Hot Chocolate is a must-try for any time of the year. To make the recipe as accurate as possible, you’ll need a very dark chocolate of at least 70% (pre-made cocoa powder won't do, sorry). You can find it at most supermarkets. If you want authentic Mexican dark chocolate, head over to the Latin market closest to you; they'll have it for sure.
Next, you'll need to boil a little bit of your preferred milk choice; once it's boiled, you'll drop in the chocolate (they usually sell them in tablets, and they melt beautifully). Once it's melted, you add in vanilla, cinnamon, and the star of this event: spicy chili peppers (usually by way of chili powder). And if you wanna make it a party, some people like to add one or two shots of brandy once it's ready to be served.
As the name suggests, the ones that preferred their hot chocolate spicy were the Aztecs; instead of adding sugar to make it sweet, they added chiles to make it bitter to make the chocolatey drink named Xocoatl. This hot chocolate is super easy to make and will make you the favorite of any gathering.Colombia
@fatgirlhedonist Reply to @whyareyoustaringatme246 #HOTCHOCOLATE WITH CHEESE! IFYKYK. #Chocolatecaliente #chocolateconqueso #🇨🇴 #comidacolombiana #cheesetiktok
Have you ever said the words: mmm, this hot chocolate needs more cheese? Probably not, unless you are from the beautiful land of Colombia, where this is a common occurrence. What makes Colombian hot chocolate unique is that cheese is added to the bottom of the cup. Once the hot chocolate is poured, the cheese will melt and mix with the drink. Trust us, it's crazy good.
The combination makes the hot chocolate thick and creamy. The saltiness combined with the sweetness makes for a luxurious culinary experience (think dipping fries in a milkshake).
For this one, also make sure you can get your hands on authentic dark chocolate, which you will mix in with boiled milk. You then mix in the chocolate till it melts; once your chocolate is ready, drop Queso Colombiano, firm mozzarella cheese, or another salty cheese option into a cup, and proceed to pour in your hot chocolate on top. And that's all! Pretty straightforward.
Coquito originates from Puerto Rico, but it’s widely known across Latin America, as a warm, nostalgic drink to enjoy during the holidays; but don’t let that stop you from drinking it throughout the year. This delicious drink is surprisingly easy to make and for many Puerto Ricans, “tastes like home.” It requires coconut milk, cinnamon, and rum.
Here’s how to recreate the traditional coquito recipe:
Ingredients for the Coquito
Let’s start with the ingredients, you might already have most of this at home. When it comes to traditional recipes like this one, most families have things they add and remove to their liking. So remember, you can be as flexible as you want, you can add eggs to make it even fluffier or raisins for added taste amongst other things!
Coquito ingredients:
- Coconut milk (1 can, 13.5 oz): it’s what gives it that creamy texture, so I definitely don’t recommend skipping out on this one!
- Cinnamon Sticks: 3
- Sweetened condensed milk 14 oz: because if it was already creamy, it’s about to get cloud level fluffy.
- Coconut cream 15 oz: Another irreplaceable ingredient. We are creating an experience here so trust me.
- Evaporated milk 4 oz
- Ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon
- Ground Cinnamon ½ teaspoon
- Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- Dark Spiced Rum 1-½ cups: this one is in fact skippable, and completely up to you!
How to prepare the Coquito
Like we said before, Coquito is super easy! Most recipes recommend that you prepare it a few days in advance from the date you’ll serve it, so the ingredients can sit in the fridge and enrich the drink with their flavor. It can also be prepared on the same day though, just make sure you have around 4 hours to let it sit in the fridge.
biscochosysancochos.com
Grab all of the ingredients, except the rum, and mix them in a blender until you get a fluffy texture, then add the rum and mix again. Pour it into a closed glass container and leave it in the fridge for 2-4 hours (or for as long as you want) and that’s it!
And if you wanna mix it up and add a few unique ingredients of your own, you can add more cinnamon on top once it’s been served, or other toppings like almonds, to add even more flavor and texture.
Enjoy! And if you do end up trying it, send us a picture on IG @theluzmedia! Happy Holidays from the Luz Family.
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