Conchas Arcoiris
Classic Mexican pan dulces stuffed with cream cheese and strawberry jam, then finished with a rainbow topping.
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Today we’re making Mexican pan dulces stuffed with cream cheese and strawberry jam, then finished with a sugary topping you can make as colorful as you like. Use a few drops of color to make pastel conchas like the ones shown here, or add some extra drops for more intense color. Whatever tickles your fancy.
This is an intermediate to advanced level recipe
In terms of skills required, I would say this is an intermediate to advanced recipe. I basically took my grandmother’s conchas recipe, then added a filling plus some color for the shell topping. While I primarily focus on easy recipes, every now and then it’s fun to share one of the more complicated treats I make in my kitchen.
Nana made conchas the really old fashioned way, in which you place the flour on your counter, make a well in the center, then add your wet ingredients. This is the method shown in my video below because a lot can go wrong. If you go this traditional route, then these conchas definitely fall into the advanced category.
But! There is an easier way to make the dough, and I’ve included that method in my recipe below. Instead of mixing everything by hand on the counter, we’ll “cheat” and use our stand mixer to do most of the hard work. Nana would probably shake her head at this, but hey, it’s 2024 and I can use my stand mixer if I want to. 😆
“Conchas Arcoiris” means “Rainbow Conchas,” and if you’re in the mood for a Cinco de Mayo baking project this may be the recipe for you. But if you’re looking for a simpler Mexican dessert, I also shared Nana’s Carlota de Limón recipe yesterday:
What Are Conchas?
Conchas are a kind of Mexican sweet bread (pan dulce) commonly found in bakeries (panaderías). The name "concha" means "shell" in Spanish, which describes the bread's distinctive shell-like pattern on top.
The base of conchas is a soft, sweet yeasted dough enriched with butter. On top of each conchas is a crunchy topping made from a mixture of sugar, shortening, flour, and flavorings. It’s rolled out into thin circles and then placed over the balls of dough. Then you use a knife to score the topping, giving it a shell pattern that expands as the conchas bake.
What Skills Will You Need?
You may be wondering where your skillset falls in terms of making this recipe. Here’s a quick run-down of what you’ll need to know how to do:
Proof yeast (Easy). This is the easiest part of the recipe. ;)
Make and proof yeasted dough (Intermediate to Advanced). This is an advanced skill if you use the well method mentioned above, and an intermediate skill if you use your stand mixer.
Add fillings to a dough (Advanced). You’ll need to be able to roll out balls of dough, fill them with cream cheese and jam, then wrap the dough around the filling to shape the conchas. It’s important that you seal the dough well or the filling will burst out of the conchas during baking. I have included some troubleshooting tips below to help you successfully execute this step.
Work with sugared toppings (Advanced). To finish you’ll make a sugary topping with confectioners sugar, flour, vegetable shortening and vanilla. Work it with your hands until you have a dough that resembles PlayDoh. Then divide it into smaller balls, add color, and combine all the balls into a rainbow hued topping that’s rolled out between two layers of parchment paper.
All of the above being said, this is one of those recipes that gets easier the more times you make it.
You can also leave the filling out of this recipe, which simplifies the assembly process considerably. However, the filling does add something. My son says these conchas are a “solid 10” without the filling but “definitely an 11” with it. 🤩
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Here’s a sneak peak of the video for this recipe: