Soak the corn husks. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the dried corn husks, pushing them down to submerge them in water. Let soak for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the kernels. Remove the corn from the cob by slicing the kernels off the sides of the corn cobs with a sharp knife into a large bowl. If you have a bundt pan you can stick the cob into the whole in the center of the pan and slice down letting the kernels fall into the pan. You can also use frozen corn, just make sure it is thawed first.

Puree the corn. Add the corn to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment in two batches. Blend for 1 minute. You want the corn to be roughly pureed.

Make the masa dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the coconut oil until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on high. Add sugar and beat another 2 minutes or until it is dissolved into the coconut oil. Add the masa, little by little until all has been added. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add corn. Mix in the corn, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and beat a minute more.

Prep the steamer pot. Fill the bottom half of the steamer pot with water. Place the steamer insert inside the pot and line the bottom of the steamer with the smallest husks that are too small or torn for filling. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so it’s just simmering.

Assemble the tamales. Now we can finally put everything all together! Take one corn husk that is about as wide as your hand on the bottom, dry both sides with a kitchen towel. Spoon about 1/2 cup of dough in the middle of the wide end of the corn husk. Fold one of the long sides of the corn husk over the filling and pull as tight as you can without the filling spilling out the open end. Roll up. Watch video for an example. Fold the triangle tip over the wide bottom. Tie with thin strips of corn husks if you’d like. Set up-right in a baking dish with high sides to prevent the filling from spilling out the top. Repeat with remaining masa and filling.

Cook the tamales. Place tamales on the steamer insert, vertically, with the top of the tamales pointing up. Lean the tamales against the side of the pot to keep from falling until you have enough in the pot that they support each other. This recipe doesn’t make a ton of tamales so use a large ball of aluminum foil or a few of the leftover corn husks to fill up the middle of the steamer. Place over medium heat so there’s lots of steam. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and then the lid. Steam until masa mixture is cooked through, about an hour. Check occasionally to add more warm water from the kitchen sink to the steamer if needed.

Check to see if they are ready. To see if the tamales are ready, remove one from the pot and let cool for a few minutes. Unwrap. If the masa sticks to the husk it is not ready yet. Return to the pot and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Cool. Once they are ready, remove to a tray, cover with a towel and let cool 30 minutes before serving.

Serve. Drizzle warm tamales with a little crema and crumbled queso fresco then sprinkle with a little cinnamon and serve. If you want to be super indulgent you can also drizzle with salted caramel sauce and a sprinkling of broiled corn kernels.