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The other day, the hubs and I were in the kitchen, and I asked him to grab me some cumin from the spice cabinet. He said, “All I see is cinnamon.” He counted 4 different containers of ground cinnamon and 8 whole sticks of cinnamon. I’m not going into a cinnamon addiction program… yet. My fellow Mexicans understand my obsession. I love the stuff! I put it in my coffee. I put it in my pork dishes. I even put it in Arroz con Leche because I’m all about (no, not that base) 😉 but easy Mexican desserts.
Rice in dessert? I know. It sounds weird, right? This is not complicated either like incredibly delicious flan or pastel de tres leches. Arroz con Leche, or Mexican rice pudding, is creamy and milky. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet. It’s a simple dessert, a classic in our Latin cuisine. Just like tamales and salsa, I can tell you stories of when…
My grandma used to take Arroz con Leche up a notch. She would make thin pancakes almost like crepes. Stuff them with leftover Arroz con Leche from the day before and roll them up like a burrito.
Discard the cinnamon stick and anise. Then drain the liquid. From here, people will add rum or egg yolks. Some people add orange rind, some people don’t. It varies from Latin country to Latin country. You will even see differences between Mexican states and Mexican regions. The recipe below is the way my grandma and my mom make it. That means: raisins! They plump up nicely and burst in your mouth as you bite into them. Yum!
You can’t go wrong with Arroz con Leche. It’s easy-to-make, creamy, and so yummy. Hope you enjoy!
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Arroz Con Leche
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice
- 6 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole star of anise
- 2 cups milk
- 1 4- oz evaporated milk can
- 1 7- oz sweetened condensed milk can
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon for topping
Instructions
- To a large stockpot, add the rice, water, cinnamon, and anise.
- Cook for 18 minutes.
- Drain any excess water and discard the cinnamon sticks and anise.
- Add milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to the rice pot.
- Stir to mix.
- Bring to a simmer on low heat.
- Add raisins.
- Mix and turn heat off.
- Serve and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
Notes
Nutrition
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What’s your favorite EASY dessert?
I love rice pudding – so warm and comforting! Your recipe looks terrific and I love the addition of star anise.
Oh yeah. I love the flavor that star anise gives.
This looks like a really interesting dessert, and one that I already have all the ingredients for at home!
I hope you make this! You’ll love it. 🙂
This looks fantastic and easy. I have a ton of rice in my pantry so can’t wait to give it a try!
You’re going to love it. So yummy!
Love the sweet rice try it with cinnamon toast.
Now that’s different. I’ll have to try that! Thank you.
This sounds amazing!!! Super simple! I have been craving arrzo con leche (rice pudding) for a few weeks. I have all the ingredients ready for it I just need to make it. Yummy! Thanks for the recipe.