Marquesitas May Look Like Crepes, But One Crispy Detail Sets Them Apart

If you've traveled around Mexico's Yucatán peninsula, you may have seen the little carts and stands in parks and street corners selling marquesitas after sunset. An iconic regional treat, marquesitas are part crepe, part cannolli, part waffle cone, and 100% delicious. While the creation process is similar to following a standard crepe recipe, there's one big difference between the two: Marquesitas have a signature crunchy, crispy texture because they're cooked on a specially-designed griddle. 

Marquesitas were created in the 1940s in Mérida, the capital city of the state of Yucatán, by Vicente Heredia Muñoz, a second generation ice cream vendor who used to make his own cones just as his father had done before him. It's said that, to keep the business going during winter when sales decreased, he started rolling the pastry into tubes instead of cones (as Lluvia Magaña Peralta told El Diario de Yucatán, "he grew tired of rolling the cones") and gave them away to his customers.

Thanks to their resounding success, he started experimenting with fillings so he could sell them. He unsuccessfully used cooked ground beef, then moved to "queso Daisy" or "Deisy" — a variant of Chihuahua cheese that's very popular in Yucatán — which was better accepted. Eventually, he settled for "queso de bola" — also known as "queso Holandes" — a Dutch Edam cheese which is made especially for export to Yucatán. 

The contrast of the sweet, crunchy pastry and the creamy, savory cheese makes marquesitas one of the unique Mexican desserts you should try at least once. Today, aside from the iconic cheese, you can choose a variety of fillings and combinations including hazelnut-chocolate spread, cajeta, fruit marmalades, sweetened condensed milk, and fresh fruits. 

Because of its geographical location, heritage, and history, the cuisine of the Yucatán peninsula is different from the rest of Mexico. There are many endemic ingredients and preparations that are difficult if not impossible to find elsewhere in the country, and up until recently, marquesitas were one of them. But the wonderful Mexican chef Pati Jinich wants to bring the flavors of Yucatán to your kitchen, and shares an easy recipe for marquesitas so you can make them at home. 

Jinich blends together eggs, sugar, canola oil, flour, salt, milk, and vanilla extract to make the batter. To cook the marquesitas, she recommends heating a 10-inch crepe pan or flat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, but some Redditors also suggest using a crepe press, a waffle maker, or an ice cream cone maker — one user wrote on Reddit that "Rick Bayless uses the krumkake and they come out perfect." Once hot, pour some batter into the pan and spread it out over the whole surface into a very thin round pancake. 

Loosen the edges as the bottom starts browning, flip the marquesita to cook the underside, then add your desired fillings. Next, you want to work quickly to roll it as you remove it from the griddle — it will begin to harden as soon as it's off the heat. Aside from the classic Yucatecan flavors, you could try using popular fillings for crepes.