Molotes de platano are sweets made from plantain bananas, filled with your choice of cheese, fruit, or nuts, then formed into cute shapes and fried. It could be fun to make with kids! This is a small dessert to make two molotes unless you scale it up. My spouse and I got this recipe from a Oaxacan cooking class, so this is a very appropriate dessert for a Mexican dinner, or just whenever. Recipe courtesy of Quinta Brava.

1 plantain
cinnamon powder
cocoa powder
vanilla extract
sugar
bread crumbs
chocolate, cream cheese, cranberries, nuts, coconut, or other filling as desired (if making several of these with a group of people, have some small bowls for people to pick and mix as they please)
oil for frying
sweetened condensed milk or honey (for serving)

Cut the plantain in 5 chunks and boil for 30 minutes or until nice and soft. Make a plantain puree (you can mash it with a fork at this point). Mix in bread crumbs, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and sugar to taste, until you have are happy with the flavor of the paste.

Take some of the puree and form it into the shape of a small bowl. Add your choice of filling — chocolate and cream cheese go well together, for example.

Seal the filling inside by closing the bowl. Form it into a simple shape, such as a cat’s head, or a bird or similar object. Decorate the outside with cranberries/raisins, nuts, etc. to make eyes, a nose, mouth, etc.

Freeze for 20 minutes.

Fill a saucepan or fryer with enough oil to cover the objects, then heat. Fry until it’s done (sorry I don’t have better guidance on this step).

To serve, drizzle with condensed milk or honey.