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This Guatemalan chancletas recipe is a unique and easy Guatemalan dessert made with chayote squash. Chancletas are sweet stuffed chayotes. The filling is made by mixing the squash with egg, champurrada or bread crumbs, sugar and cinnamon and usually topped with raisins or almonds. Chayote, a type of squash, is commonly used as an ingredient in many savory dishes in Guatemala, Mexico and many other Latin American countries. And although you might not think of a chayote squash recipe as being sweet you will find that this chayote dessert is as delicious as it is unusual.
Sweet Memories of Guatemalan Chancletas
There is something truly magical about the flavors and aromas that evoke our childhood and those happy times spent with family. They transport us back to a time filled with laughter, love, and happy family memories. As most kids, sweet treats were always my favorite. One of those Guatemalan desserts that always brings a flood of nostalgia and warm fuzzy memories with every bit are chancletas.
I have been wanting to write the recipe for chancletas for a while now. And I’m so excited to finally share this easy chancletas recipe with you all! If you’ve ever had chancletas you’re probably here because you love this unique Guatemalan recipe. If you’ve never tried chancletas you are in for a treat.
Growing up in Guatemala, chancletas held a special place in my heart. On lazy Sunday afternoons, my siblings and I would gather in the kitchen, eagerly watching our nana as she prepared this traditional Guatemalan recipe. The air would fill with the sweet, earthy aroma of chayote mingling with the warm notes of cinnamon and sugar. Once they were ready we would sit in the kitchen table and enjoy them with a glass of delicious horchata.
What is Chayote?
Chayote, often referred to as vegetable pear or mirliton, has been a staple ingredient in Latin American cuisine for centuries. Its versatility knows no bounds, as it seamlessly transitions from savory stews to the realm of desserts. The chayote’s mild sweetness and crisp, juicy texture make it the perfect canvas for exploring unique flavor profiles.
What are Chancletas de Guisquil?
Chancletas de güisquil are not to be confused with chancletas or chanclas, the infamous flying footwear used in Latin American households as a tool to discipline children and pets. Guatemalan chancletas are a traditional dessert made with a type of squash known as chayote.
To create this dessert, the chayote is peeled and cooked until it becomes tender. Then, it is carefully hollowed out. Stuffed with a mixture of chayote, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a sprinkle of chopped nuts and raisins that enhance the chayote’s natural sweetness, this is an easy and quick dessert to make. Once filled, the chancletas are gently baked allowing the flavors to meld and the chayote to morph from a somewhat boring vegetable into a delightful dessert.
What are the ingredients for making chancletas?
The star of the show, of course, is the chayote squash. You’ll want to select firm and vibrant green chayotes, ensuring they are at their peak freshness. Other essential ingredients include brown sugar, cinnamon, chopped nuts (such as almonds or walnuts), raisins, crushed champurrada or bread crumbs, and eggs. These simple yet flavorful elements come together to bring the chancletas to life.
When combined with bread crumbs and eggs, the chancletas take on a delightful bread pudding-like texture. The bread crumbs add a comforting element, creating a soft and moist interior that perfectly complements the chayote and the medley of flavors. The eggs provide structure and contribute to the lusciousness of each bite. With this delightful lineup of ingredients, you’ll have everything you need to embark on your chancleta-making adventure and savor the heavenly combination of flavors and textures.
History of Chancletas: A Guatemalan Traditional Dessert
Among the many Latin American chayote recipes, the chancletas stand as a shining example of Guatemala’s culinary creativity. While the exact origins of this delightful dessert are unknown, it is believed to have emerged from the heart of traditional Guatemalan kitchens, passed down through generations. The chancletas gained popularity for their ingenious use of chayote squash, transforming it into a sweet dish that showcases Guatemala’s ingenuity.
What do Chancletas Taste Like?
As you take your first bite into a chancleta, the gentle sweetness of the chayote mingles with the warmth of cinnamon, while the brown sugar adds its rich depth. Each crunchy bite of nuts and plump raisins offers a delightful contrast to the tender chayote, creating not only a delicious flavor but also a combination of textures that will leave you craving more.
So get some fresh chayotes and surprise your family with this easy Guatemalan dessert that is sure to transport you back to Chapinlandia (Guatemala).
Recipe for Guatemalan Chancletas de Güisquil: A Chayote Dessert
Ingredients, for cooking the chayotes:
- 2 large chayotes
- 5 cups of water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
Ingredients, for the filling:
- 1 medium champurrada (Guatemalan cookies)
- 3 tablespoons of chopped almonds
- 3 tablespoons of raisins
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Ingredients, for the topping:
Directions
- Start by cutting the chayotes in half lengthwise.
- In a large pot, combine water, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and light sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the chayotes. Let them cook for approximately 20 minutes until they become tender.
- Once the chayotes have softened, carefully remove the flesh from the skin, ensuring not to damage the skin, and mash the flesh. Place the mashed chayote in a colander to drain off any excess water.
- Add all the filling ingredients to the mashed chayote and mix thoroughly.
- Stuff the chayote skins with the filling mixture.
- Top with rinsing and almonds.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), then bake the chayotes for 30 minutes until they are cooked through.
Variations on the Chancletas Recipe
Chancletas, like any traditional recipe that has been passed on from generation to generation can be a bit different depending on the region and every family has their own way of making this Guatemalan dessert. Many people add Mexican crema to their chancletas and a popular version of the chancletas recipe includes sweet red wine or sherry as an ingredient. If you would like to try this version simply add two teaspoons of sherry or sweet red wine to the filling mixture.
Another version of the chancletas adds a crumble topping made mixing champurrada crumbs and melted butter. You can add this to the chancletas before baking and top with the almonds and raisins on top of the champurrada crumble.
Although champurradas, a sweet Guatemalan cookie, is traditionally used some people use crumbs from coconut bread. If you don’t have champurradas any bread crumbs will do and if you like you can add some shredded coconut to the chancletas for a more tropical flavor.
You can make changes to suit your preferences and dietary needs. For a touch of decadence, consider drizzling your chancletas with a velvety caramel sauce or dusting them with powdered sugar. If you prefer a healthier alternative, experiment with substituting the brown sugar with a natural sweetener. If you don’t have almonds you can substitute them for walnuts.
Share Your Chancletas Recipes With Me
If you’ve tried chancletas before I really hope that this recipe brings back happy memories like it does for me. If you have not tried chancletas before you are in for a real treat!
Share your own chancleta experiences, memories, and variations. Do you have your own family twist on this traditional Guatemalan recipe? Have you incorporated other ingredients or spices into your chancletas?
Guatemalan Chancletas: A Unique Stuffed Chayote Dessert
Ingredients
- Ingredients, for cooking the chayotes:
- 2 large chayotes
- 5 cups of water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- Ingredients, for the filling:
- 1 medium champurrada (Guatemalan cookies)
- 3 tablespoons of chopped almonds
- 3 tablespoons of raisins
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Ingredients, for the topping:
- Sliced almonds
- Raisins
Instructions
- Start by cutting the chayotes in half lengthwise.
In a large pot, combine water, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and light sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the chayotes. Let them cook for approximately 20 minutes until they become tender. - Once the chayotes have softened, carefully remove the flesh from the skin, ensuring not to damage the skin, and mash the flesh.
- Place the mashed chayote in a colander to drain off any excess water.
- Add all the filling ingredients to the mashed chayote and mix thoroughly.
- Stuff the chayote skins with the filling mixture.
- Top with rinsing and almonds.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), then bake the chayotes for 30 minutes until they are cooked through.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 394Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 5gSugar: 45gProtein: 9g
Nutritional value is calculated by an online calculator, some values may not be accurate.
Other Popular Guatemalan Desserts
Rellenitos De Platano
If you’re looking for the best Guatemalan rellenitos de plátano recipe, you’ve come to the right place. This Guatemalan dessert is one of my favorites: ripe plantains filled with beans and covered in sugar. This sweet plantain recipe is one of the most popular desserts in Guatemala.
Easy Guatemalan Pineapple Empanadas
These easy-to-make Guatemalan pineapple empanadas make for a great dessert or an easy sweet snack. I like that empanadas are perfect for entertaining and also travel well. They are ideal snacks for bringing to picnics, BBQs, or potlucks. I also love putting them in my kid’s lunchboxes.
Jocotes En Miel
Cooked in a bubbling sweet syrup and heavenly spices, these juicy jocotes (hog plums) are a traditional Guatemalan food commonly served around the Day of the Dead celebrations. Still, you can now enjoy this simple yet delicious Guatemalan recipe any day!
Molletes
Guatemalan molletes are a traditional Guatemalan dessert similar to stuffed French toast usually served for the Day of the Dead or All Saints Day festivities. They are fried pan dulce or sweet bread stuffed with milky custard soaked in a delicious syrup made with panela (or raw sugar) and rum.
Guatemalan Chancletas: A Unique Stuffed Chayote Dessert
Ingredients
- Ingredients, for cooking the chayotes:
- 2 large chayotes
- 5 cups of water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- Ingredients, for the filling:
- 1 medium champurrada (Guatemalan cookies)
- 3 tablespoons of chopped almonds
- 3 tablespoons of raisins
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Ingredients, for the topping:
- Sliced almonds
- Raisins
Instructions
- Start by cutting the chayotes in half lengthwise.
In a large pot, combine water, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and light sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the chayotes. Let them cook for approximately 20 minutes until they become tender. - Once the chayotes have softened, carefully remove the flesh from the skin, ensuring not to damage the skin, and mash the flesh.
- Place the mashed chayote in a colander to drain off any excess water.
- Add all the filling ingredients to the mashed chayote and mix thoroughly.
- Stuff the chayote skins with the filling mixture.
- Top with rinsing and almonds.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), then bake the chayotes for 30 minutes until they are cooked through.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 394Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 84mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 5gSugar: 45gProtein: 9g
Nutritional value is calculated by an online calculator, some values may not be accurate.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
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