Hearty Special Sweets from Guatemala That are Crumbly, Crunchy and Cloyed

Nestled close to the tropics, Guatemala is part of Central America which is known for its strong Mexican influences thanks to its culture deeply embedded in ancient Mayans. The country is known for its peppers, local meat, and plenty of flavorful dishes including desserts that aren’t too frivolous. Guatemala also has Spanish, Latin American and Garifunan influences thanks to its checkered history and this displays itself abundantly in the country’s sweet fare.

1. Polvorosas

These are Guatemala's twist on shortbread cookies that are a beautiful shade of pale yellow, and round in shape with a flat top. It’s usually made with only five ingredients – flour, (sometimes) cornstarch, sugar, butter, and flavored with cinnamon at times. It’s one of those annoying or delightful cookies that feel like you’re biting into chalk; “polvo” in Spanish means powder. One bite into the hard exterior and you are left with a mouthful of powdery cookies that are rich in sugar. Colombia and Venezuela also have similar cookies but Guatemala’s version has sugar in it and is powdery.

2. Borracho

Central American countries love their liquor, especially their locally made rum and there are quite a handful of desserts that use rum in the batter, topping, filling, or syrup that goes into, in between, or on top of the cake. Borracho is one such cake whose sponge cake loaf is drenched in a sugar syrup that is infused with rum, locally made from their ample sugar cane crops. It’s no surprise the name means “drunk” in Spanish. The rum cake recipe is simple, after soaking it uses a slathering of whipped cream and sugar with sometimes raisins and prunes pressed into it. It’s sold by the slice in most bakeries, in a muffin paper to contain the rum-syrup.

3. Arroz en Leche

That is not a typo but yes, Arroz en Leche is quite similar to Arroz con Leche but instead of being just a dessert, it is also consumed as a beverage. But the essence of the rice pudding remains the same where the rice is boiled with a cinnamon stick until it reaches a sticky and soft consistency. Then full-fat milk and evaporated milk are added along with raisins, salt and sugar. The milk is not allowed to be fully absorbed when it's consumed as a beverage and when it's a dessert, the rice pudding is allowed to absorb the milk and create a hearty dessert.

4. Buñuelos

Not exactly exclusive to Guatemala, Buñuelos can be found all over Latin America and almost any country with Spanish colonial or immigrant history. Buñuelos are the Latin American version of doughnut holes that are fried dough which are shaped into balls and then dusted with sugar. In Guatemala, the Buñuelos are usually found during the Holiday season that starts towards the end of Thanksgiving.

5. Tres Leches

Every country south of the US, which has Latin American influences, has tres leches cake among its dessert offerings. Tres leches are known all over the world today for being a moist and dense sponge cake that is soaked in three different kinds of milk. This cake is a staple at many celebrations including the Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Mexico. There is a tussle around the invention of cake and while it's a little uncertain who has an absolute claim, it continues to enjoy popularity and is a must-try in Guatemala too.

6. Rellenitos de Plátano

Being in the tropical zone equals plenty of fruits that have brilliant colors, are juicy, and have a distinct smell, like bananas that Guatemala grows in abundance. To be more precise, plantains are a variety of bananas that are used in different dishes, mostly in their unripe form. Rellenitos de Plátano is one example where the mashed plantains, sweetened and flavored with sugar and cinnamon, are shaped into oval fritters and stuffed with cooked black beans that almost turn into a paste. This is fried and rolled in granulated sugar to be eaten with relish.

7. Chancleta

In meme culture or internet lingo (it is also a Cuban slang), this word has been used to denote slippers that “moms use to disciple their naughty kids”, but it is a whole different thing in the dessert section. It’s not slipper-shaped either, it’s made with a local squash called Chayote that is cooked whole. Once the squash softens, it is split into two and hollowed out and this cooked flesh is mashed and mixed with sugar, cinnamon, raisins and cookie crumbs to form a thick stuffing. This stuffing is filled out in the hollowed Chayote and is baked for about 30 minutes to make the Guatemalan Chancleta.