This is Daniela and I 100 years ago. She and I were mission companions for a short time. I loved my time with her – we worked hard together and laughed a lot.
I was introduced by Daniella to Gorditas one day when we were teaching a pretty special girl named Bianca. She impressed me so much – she wanted to do what was right even though she did not get much support from family and friends, something that many teens are not thinking about. She was so fun to be with and had such a beautiful smile. We had been teaching Bianca, and on our way out, the house smelled delicious! My companion knew that smell well as she is from Mexico and asked about the Gorditas. It was perfect timing! Bianca’s mom made and sold Gorditas to help the family income. This is something I admire so much about the Latino culture. The people are not afraid to work and will do anything – even sell food door to door in order to make ends meet. I had one bite and I was hooked! We always hoped that Bianca’s mom would be selling Gorditas when we went to visit 🙂
Bianca is an amazing person, and I think about her often. I lost contact with Bianca years ago after returning home from Sacramento. I called the number and it was no longer theirs. I sent cards and letters and they came back as “does not live at this address”. I have tried locating her on Face Book with no luck. Hopefully one day I will find her and see how she is doing.
I found a recipe given to me by Daniela when we were missionaries. As is common when it comes to Latino women and their cooking, the recipe was basically a list of the ingredients, “2 lbs of this, a little bit of that”. I had to play around and find the right amounts of each ingredient to replicate the yumminess of these things. I made one change to the recipe – I added the small amount of sour cream. This helps them to stay soft for a longer period of time. I have doubled the batch and they stay great for a least a week -I just warm one in the micro for about 10 seconds- perfect! Gorditas for me are a definite comfort food. Whenever it is a bit chilly out or kinda gloomy, I love to snuggle up in a blanket with some Gorditas, hot chocolate, and a book. Gorditas are also a fun family game night food. My daughter loves them so much that when she offers them to her friends, she calls them “cookies”.
First you will mix all the dry ingredients together.
Then you will mix all the dry ingredients with the shortening. Once it is a bit crumbly add in the sour cream. Slowly add in the milk as you are mixing the dough. Knead with your hands until it no longer sticks.
You will end up with a nice, firm dough. Put the dough in a Ziplock bag for about 20 minutes to let it rest.
This part is a fun way to get the whole family involved. I use my large cookie scooper and scoop the dough into balls so they are all about the same size. Roll the balls into nice circles and then flatten them between your two palms. I know some people like to roll the dough out about 1/4 inch and cut them out, either way is really fine.
Put them on the hot griddle (300* F). You will flip them a total of 2 times. Allow the one side to cook for about 4 minutes. Flip, and let the other side cook for about 6 minutes. Flip once more and allow to cook 2 more minutes. * You may need to play with this a bit depending on the thickness of your gorditas, and every stove and griddle does not cook the same 🙂
Some people like to top their Gordiatas with things like jam, honey, nutella, or butter and cinnamon and sugar. I personally love them just the way they are.
See the Happy!
-Kirsten
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 18 Gorditas | 5 min |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 25 min | 20 min |
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Gorditas are a cross between a biscuit and a pancake. They are slightly sweet with a hint of cinnamon. Perfect with a cup of hot chocolate or tea.
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- 1 1/2 cup white flour
- 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup pancake mix I use Krusteaz Pancake Mix
- 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- Mix all the dry ingredients together.
- Add the butter flavored shortening. Mix well until it is a bit crumbly.
- Add the sour cream, then slowly add the milk a little at a time as you are mixing the dough. Knead it until it no longer sticks to your hands.
- Put it in a ziplock bag and allow the dough to rest for minimum 20 minutes.
- Pre-heat the griddle to 300* or if you are cooking stove top about medium or medium/high.
- You can use a scoop to scoop out the dough. Roll into balls, and then flatten between your palms. If you would like, you can also roll the dough out to about a 1/4 inch and cut out circles with a biscuit cutter or a cup.
- You will flip them a total of 2 times. Allow the one side to cook for about 4 minutes. Flip, and let the other side cook for about 6 minutes. Flip once more and allow to cook 2 more minutes. * You may need to play with this a bit depending on the thickness of your gorditas, and every stove and griddle does not cook the same. Enjoy!