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These Mexican mantecadas are tender and citrusy with the perfect amount of sweetness. Serve them with some butter or jam, then grab yourself a big cup of coffee.

I have a ritual for times when I’m missing my grandmother.

First, I put Trio Los Panchos on in the kitchen. This was her favorite band and I have many memories of her singing along while cooking in her kitchen. I always start with “Perfidia.”

Next, I cook one of her recipes. If I’m in the mood for something savory, I usually make arroz con pollo. It’s easy, flavorful and so satisfying. Whenever I eat it, suddenly I’m 10-years-old and sitting down in Nana’s kitchen with my cousins while we tuck into heaping plates of fluffy rice and juicy chicken.

If I’m craving something sweet, I make mantecadas. Now I’m sitting in the sun with Nana on a summer day with a cold glass of horchata and a golden muffin.

Food is the original time machine.

And though my son only met Nana once when he was an infant, in recent years he has learned how to make some her recipes. That’s what made me decide to share these Mexican muffins.

Last week he came home from school and asked if he could make mantecadas for a snack. Before I knew it, he was puttering away in the kitchen and my home smelled like my childhood.

He did, however, opt for AC/DC instead of Trio Los Panchos. 🙃

Mantecadas are Mexican muffins and some of the most popular sweet treats sold in panaderías (bakeries). The name means “with butter” or “full of butter” in Spanish, which may seem odd since this recipe doesn’t have any butter in it. The reason is that these muffins are inspired by Spain’s “mantecadas de Astorga.” Those are made with butter, but the Mexican version is made with oil.

Historically vegetable oil was the ingredient of choice, but you can also use olive oil. (Which is what Nana did.) The muffins maintain the same richness as their Spanish counterpart.

Nana’s mantecadas are perfectly golden and fluffy. They’re subtly sweet and incredibly moist. You can enjoy them on their own, or slice them in half and serve them warm with a bit of butter and jam. I’ve also included a couple variation ideas below.

It only takes a few minutes to mix up the batter, and unlike many muffin recipes, you can walk away from the batter for a bit. In fact, you should let the it rest for 20 minutes. I’m not sure if Nana’s recipe does this because she often had to pause what she was doing to stop one of us kids from getting into mischief, or if that is the way mantecadas are always made. But either way, the rest time does make a difference. Anytime I’ve skipped this step my muffins aren’t as light and fluffy as Nana’s were.

There is nothing complicated about this recipe. If you can mix ingredients in a bowl, you can make these mantecadas and give any panadería a run for its money.

Flavored with vanilla and a hint of orange, these muffins are not overly sweet. They have just enough sweetness to be enjoyed on their own, but not so much that you couldn’t top one with jam or honey if you felt like it.

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