Garullas: Colombian Stuffed Corn Breads

Garullas are delicious traditional Colombian pastries (amasijos) made from a crumbly sweet corn dough generously stuffed with a rich, sweet cheese curd filling. They are the absolute perfect treat for an afternoon snack or a hearty breakfast.

The secret to this 40-minute recipe is preparing two distinct mixtures: a buttery corn dough for the exterior, and a sweet, flour-bound cuajada (fresh cheese) paste for the center. Once shaped into sealed balls, they are baked and flipped halfway through to ensure a perfectly golden, crispy crust all around.

Garullas (Colombian Stuffed Corn Breads)

Traditional stuffed pastries from Cundinamarca! Sweet corn dough balls filled with a rich mixture of fresh cheese curd and sugar, baked until golden.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Breads, Snack

Cuisine Colombian, Latin American

Servings 20 pieces

Ingredients

  

• 2 lbs Corn flour
• 1/2 lb Wheat flour Divided
• 2 lbs Cuajada Fresh farmer’s cheese or cheese curd
• 1 lb Butter
• 4 Eggs
• 2 cups Sugar Divided
• Salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Mix the outer dough base: The very first step is to mix the butter with 1 cup of sugar and 2 of the eggs. Beat them very well until you achieve a smooth, homogeneous mixture.
• Finish the dough: To this butter mixture, add the corn flour, 1/2 cup of the wheat flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything thoroughly until you get a well-integrated, homogeneous dough. Set this dough aside.
• Create the filling: In a separate bowl, mash the cuajada (fresh cheese) with a fork until crumbled. Mix the mashed cheese with the remaining 1 cup of sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup of wheat flour. Blend well until it forms a cohesive filling paste.
• Shape and stuff: Take medium-sized portions of the reserved corn dough and flatten them in your hands into small arepa shapes. Place a generous portion of the cheese filling in the center of each one. Carefully close the dough around the filling using your hands, ensuring the filling is completely sealed inside, and roll it into a smooth ball.
• Bake: Place the shaped garullas on a baking sheet and put them into a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes. After this time, open the oven, carefully flip the pastries, and bake them for another 15 minutes until perfectly golden on both sides. Let them cool slightly and enjoy!

Notes

• Cultural Heritage: Garullas have been officially declared as the cultural heritage of the municipality of Soacha, Cundinamarca. In this town, there are traditional family-owned factories dedicated to producing this delicacy that have been successfully operating for over a century!
• Recipe Variations: There are several variations of this ancestral recipe across the region. Some cooks omit the sugar entirely for a savory version, while others like to add a splash of aguardiente (anise-flavored spirit) directly into the dough for extra flavor.
• The Amasijo Family: In Colombia, baked goods and breads known as amasijos are a primordial part of the gastronomy. Garullas belong to this famous family alongside other iconic treats like pandebono, pandequeso, pandeyucas, buñuelos, and almojábanas.
• Classic Pairings: Traditionally, these stuffed breads are served alongside masato de arroz (a fermented rice beverage), but they are absolutely perfect paired with a good cup of Colombian coffee or hot agua de panela.
• Ingredient Note: The recipe card lists 4 eggs in the ingredients but only specifies using 2 in the first step. In traditional baking, the remaining eggs are usually kept on hand and added one by one to the corn dough only if the mixture feels too dry and needs extra moisture to bind!

Keywords Colombian Stuffed Corn Breads, Garullas