Tamal de Maicena

I remember when I was younger, coming back from high school and getting so excited to eat tamal de maicena with coffee. My mom did not make it as often, so when she would, it was a treat!.  What is Maicena you might be asking, it is corn starch and in this recipe it is used to create a sweet dessert.  
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Since my mom lost the recipe that she used, I needed to research for a new one. There are a couple of different versions out there, but this one that I am sharing is very simple to make and it tastes like the tamal de maicena my mom used to make. 

This recipe has very few ingredients and it is super simple to make. The key for a good tamal de maicena is to make sure to stir constantly to avoid the lumps.

Tamal de maicena it is gluten free!!!

Tamal de Maicena

Ingredients: 
4 cups of milk
1 stick of butter
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups of cornstarch
2 eggs beaten

Preheat the oven at 350F.
In a non-stick medium pot, add the milk, butter, sugar, and vanilla; bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low.
In a large bowl, add the eggs and the cornstarch and mix well. Slowly add 1 cup of the milk mixture, mixing constantly to temper the eggs. Keep adding more milk until the mixture is soft and has no lumps. 
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Add the mixture to the pot SLOWLY and mix constantly using a wooden spoon.
Keep cooking and mixing for a few more minutes until the mixture gets thick, you will know when it is ready when passing a spoon at the bottom of the pot creates a line that separates the mixture.

Remove from heat and pour into the pyrex (no need to grease it ( I use an 11 by 8-inch pyrex).
Cover with foil and cook for approximately 50 min. Remove the foil after 30 min of cooking to allow the top to get a light brown color.  Let it cool completely before serving.