Discover 10 of the Most Delicious Dulces Tipicos in Puebla, Mexico

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth so I was more excited to try savory dishes in Puebla like mole poblano and chiles en nogada. But did you know that Puebla is famous for its traditional confections as well?

Known locally as dulces típicos de Puebla or traditional sweets from Puebla (literally “typical sweets”), this city is known for over 300 different types of confections. Like Talavera pottery, they’re so popular in Puebla that there’s a street filled with sweet shops in the heart of the Historical Center called Calle de los Dulces.

Not many people have time to try all 300 sweets, so with the help of one local sweet shop, we’ve come up with this list of the ten most popular dulces tipicos that you need to try in Puebla.

WHAT ARE DULCES TIPICOS?

Dulces tipicos are traditional Mexican confections produced in Puebla. Thanks to the influx of foreign influences (Spanish and Arab) and ingredients, many of the city’s convents started producing these handmade artisanal sweets.

At first, they were giving them away as gifts to the convents’ benefactors but over time, they realized they could raise money by selling them. Today, like Talavera pottery and vacuum-sealed packets of mole poblano, dulces tipicos are among the most popular souvenirs you can buy in Puebla.

So popular are these dulces tipicos in Puebla that you’ll find many traditional confection shops throughout the city. One street in particular – Avenida 6 Oriente – has such a high concentration of sweet shops that it’s often referred to as “Calle de los Dulces”. This is where most tourists go to buy their boxes of sweets in Puebla.

MUST-TRY DULCES TIPICOS IN PUEBLA

As described, there are hundreds of these traditional confections in Puebla but these ten are among the most popular. A big thank you to the Charito shop for helping me come up with this list.

10. Cocada al Horno

Cocadas are a coconut dessert snack popular in many countries throughout Latin America. Recipes vary but they’re traditionally made with grated coconut, milk, egg yolks, piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar), and cinnamon. The ingredients are mixed together and formed into discs before being baked to a delicious golden brown in an oven.

9. Palanqueta

Palanqueta refers to a type of Mexican peanut brittle. It’s a traditional sweet made from shelled peanuts mixed with piloncillo syrup. It’s a sweet and crunchy confection that’s beloved in Mexico and in many other parts of the world.

Compared to the other dulces tipicos on this list, palanqueta may have older roots. Its name is said to be derived from the Nahuatl word papaquil, which means “happy” or “cheerful”. It’s a pre-Hispanic snack that used to be made from ground roasted corn mixed with honey. It was traditionally made to celebrate papaquilizilhuitl, a corn fair that would begin on the eve of the corn harvest.

During colonial times, the recipe was changed. It’s now made with piloncillo and different types of nuts and seeds like peanuts, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds.

8. Barra de Piñon

Barra de piñon refers to a type of Mexican candy bar made with sweetened milk mixed with ground pine nuts. The bars are a good size – about the length and thickness of a Snickers bar – and are typically decorated with whole pine nuts.

7. Dulce de Leche con Nuez

Dulce de leche con nuez literally translates to “sweet milk with walnuts”. It’s a sweet, milky confection made with reduced sweetened milk (aka cajeta or dulce de leche) and vanilla garnished with a piece of whole walnut.

6. Macarrones de Leche

Not to be confused with French macarons or coconut macaroons, Mexican macarrones de leche are made from a mixture of reduced sweetened milk, vanilla, and cinnamon piped from a pastry bag. Depending on the recipe, it can contain other ingredients as well like ground walnuts and wine.

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5. Jamoncillo de Pepita

Jamoncillo de pepita is one of my favorite dulces tipicos from Puebla. It’s made with the usual sweetened milk but enriched with ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds). The pepitas give this traditional sweet a different flavor and texture.

The strip of red comes from natural food coloring. According to this article, the coloring is added to the paste to identify which batches are to be used for what confection. For example, batches with red are to be sliced into jamoncillo de pepita bars while uncolored batches are to be used as the topping for tortitas de santa clara (#2).

4. Novias de Leche

Novia de leche is a very similar confection to dulce de leche con nuez. It’s made with cajeta decorated with whole pieces of walnut or candied blueberries.

Novias de leche are bigger than dulces de leche con nuez and can be made with one or two flavors of cajeta. The cajeta is typically flavored with vanilla, chocolate, or pine nuts.

Novia de leche translates to “milk bride”. I can’t find an explanation for the name but I’m assuming it pertains to the two flavors of cajeta happily joined into one confection.

3. Los Borrachitos

Los Borrachitos are like the Mexican version of candied jellies, but with a twist. Borrachitos literally means “little drunkards” and is in reference to the alcohol used to make these traditional confections.

Recipes for los borrachitos vary but they’re typically made with gelatin, water, cornstarch, alcohol, and white sugar. Based on recipes online, they’re typically made with rum though we’ve had borrachitos made with tequila as well. They can also be made with milk.

The borrachitos pictured below appear to get their color from food coloring, but I believe you can get borrachitos flavored with different ingredients like strawberry, lemon, pineapple, and rompope (Mexican eggnog).

2. Tortitas de Santa Clara

These little tarts or cookies known as tortitas de santa clara are among the most well-known dulces tipicos from Puebla. They were originally created in the Convent of Santa Clara (Convento de Santa Clara) and consist of a cookie base topped with a filling made from sweetened milk and pepitas.

1. Camotes

Camotes are perhaps the most famous type of dulces tipicos from Puebla. As you can probably guess from the name, they’re made with sweet potatoes mixed with sugar and other flavorings like lemon or orange essence.

Like jamoncillo de pepita and tortitas de santa clara, camotes are among my favorite dulces tipicos in Puebla. They have an interesting taste and texture that’s akin to eating mashed potatoes sweetened with sugar and fruit flavorings.

Camotes are shaped like cigars and wrapped individually in waxed paper. You can buy them per piece but you’ll probably want to get a whole box with assorted flavors. Compared to the other dulces tipicos on this list, they aren’t as sweet which is probably why I like them.

WHERE TO BUY DULCES TIPICOS IN PUEBLA

Charito

You can find sweet shops everywhere in downtown Puebla but if you want to go where the locals go, then you may want to make the trip to Charito. It’s located about 4 km (2.5 miles) southwest of the zocalo (main square).

Aside from being a sweet shop, Charito is a manufacturer as well so you can get a wide variety of dulces tipicos at their shop at good prices. All the dulces tipicos featured in this article were purchased from their shop.

Calle de los Dulces

If you’d rather buy dulces tipicos from a shop in the Historic Center, then you’ll find many shops along Avenida 6 Oriente. It can be confusing to decide which store to walk into but I recommend going to La Gran Fama. It’s been around since the late 19th century and is known for being one of the best (if not the best) sweet shops along this street.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BEST DULCES TIPICOS IN PUEBLA

As described, there are said to be over 300 different varieties of dulces tipicos in Puebla but these ten should be enough to get you started. They’re the most popular varieties and a good place to begin.

Most sweet shops in Puebla will sell dulces tipicos pre-packaged in gift sets. If you’re planning on purchasing them for yourself, then I recommend getting them individually. I undertsand that it can be intimidating to choose which ones to pick since there are so many, which is why I decided to write this guide. I hope it helps.

Don’t be afraid to ask the salespeople for assistance either. If you aren’t confident in your Spanish, then just ask ¿Cuál es su recomendación? (“What’s your recommendation?”). Most will be happy to help.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the many delicious dulces tipicos in Puebla.

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