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Guatemalan Sweet Pumpkin

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Guatemalan Sweet Pumpkin or Ayote En Dulce, is a decadent and delicious, traditional Guatamalan dessert. It is like eating pumpkin pie without all the crust and fuss. It is soft, sweet, slightly spicy and melds all the best flavors of fall into one dish.

Guatemalan Sweet Pumpkin or Ayote En Dulce is actually very easy to make. It is as simple as cutting up the pumpkin and cooking it to perfection.

Ayote En Dulce Guatemalan sweet pumpkin
Guatemalan sweet pumpkin
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  • Ingredients
  • Directions
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This is one of my husbands favorite traditional Guatemalan recipes. His father always made this in the fall when the pumpkins were ripe. They never carved pumpkins like we do in the United States, but they always enjoyed Ayote En Dulce, as it is called in Guatemala, in the fall. This translates directly as pumpkin in sugar.

Ingredients

This recipe calls for Piloncillo, a form of pure raw cane sugar that is commonly used in Mexican cooking and is sometimes referred to as Mexican brown sugar. It has not been processed, leaving it with a golden brown color and a deliciously rich flavor similar to molasses.

You should be able to find Piloncillo in the Mexican aisle, bulk section of your supermarket.

Pumpkin and piloncillo sugar
Pumpkin and piloncillo sugar

If you cannot find piloncillo sugar you can easily substitute brown sugar in an equal amount. About 12 ounces total in this recipe but you could add more if your pumpkin is larger.

I recommend using a pie pumpkin, the small pumpkins which are just the right size for making a pie or two, but you can actually use any pumpkin. Just make sure to adjust the amount of the other ingredients if the pumpkin is larger or smaller.   

If you have a home grown pumpkin to use that is even better! I had a renegade pumpkin this year that grew over in the side driveway! I didn’t plant it but must have been a seed in the compost somehow. I love it when nature gives in funny ways.

Directions

To make this delicious Guatemalan Sweet Pumpkin or Ayote En Dulce just wash the pie pumpkin throughly then cut in half and remove the seeds, leaving the skin on. 

Remove seeds and cut pumpkin into wedges
Remove seeds and cut pumpkin into wedges

Cut it into about 16 wedges and place in a large pot. Place the 2 piloncillo sugar cones on top of the cut pumpkin. 

Pour 1 cup of water over the top of the sugar cones to help them begin to dissolve. Add the cinnamon sticks or sprinkle with ground cinnamon. 

Place pumpkin in pot with sugar cones and cinnamon
Place pumpkin in pot with sugar cones and cinnamon

Place a lid on your pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 40 more minutes or until pumpkin is very soft and ready to eat. When you poke the pumpkin with a fork it will feel soft. 

Serve each wedge of pumpkin with a spoon of the sugary syrup from the bottom of the pot. If you want, add a tablespoon or two of cream or a scoop of ice cream, my favorite!!! Eat the pumpkin, leaving the skin behind.

This dessert is easy to make but tastes like you slaved over it all day. It is so good.

Recipe

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Guatemalan Sweet Pumpkin

Guatemalan Sweet Pumpkin or Ayote En Dulce, is a decadent and delicious, traditional Guatamalan dessert. It is like eating pumpkin pie without all the crust and fuss. It is soft, sweet, slightly spicy and melds all the best flavors of fall into one dish.
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Guatemalan
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 Pie Pumpkin
  • 2 Piloncillo Sugar cones 6 oz each or 12 oz. brown sugar
  • 3 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 Cup Water

Instructions

  • Wash the pumpkin throughly then cut in half and remove the seeds, leaving the skin on.
  • Cut into about 16 wedges and place in a large pot. Place the piloncillo sugar cones on top of the cut pumpkin.
  • Pour the water over the top of the sugar cones to help them begin to dissolve.
  • Add the cinnamon sticks or sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
  • Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 40 more minutes or until pumpkin is very soft and ready to eat. When you poke the pumpkin with a fork it will feel soft.
  • Serve warm with a scoop of the sugar syrup and little bit of cream or top with ice cream for something extra special. Eat the pumpkin, leaving the skin behind.
Guatemalan sweet pumpkin with ice cream
Guatemalan sweet pumpkin with ice cream

You might also like

  • Pumpkin spice scones
  • Pear Bread
  • Guatemalan black bean soup

Please leave your questions, comments and ratings below!

« Pumpkin Spice Scones
Pasta with Cauliflower, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim

    March 07, 2021 at 3:47 am

    5 stars
    This sweet pumpkin is so good. It was really easy to make and was sweet, but not too sweet. It is rich and creamy kind of like pumpkin pie but without a crust and I bet much healthier. I will make this again in the fall when I can get another fresh pumpkin.

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