We’ve started making these blue corn tortillas in my house, and my kids are all about them. The color is beautiful. The dough is so soft and fun to squish and make into the little dough balls. There is much more flavor to the blue corn than a standard yellow corn tortilla. They are perfect for tacos, quesadillas, or baking into chips.

Making something that is a familiar food (we eat a lot of corn tortillas in our house) that is slightly different can be helpful in broadening a picky eaters preferences. It may feel safe enough to be grandfathered in with the familiar food. A strategy to use in a time like this is to provide both. If I knew my kiddo might be hesitant about a blue food being other and different, I would also provide the regular corn tortillas in the pile of hot fresh tortillas. They are easy to throw on the griddle at the same time, and this way they would feel secure knowing that there is a familiar food to eat. This security may allow them to branch out and try the new food. I would only do this if providing both options is convenient and wouldn’t make an entirely separate meal. Both options would be available to everyone in the family and not just the opinionated eaters.

I have tried several brands of blue corn masa harina, and I must say I love the Masienda brand. It seems to hold together and create a more pliable, and less breakable tortilla. We used a cast iron tortilla press, but you can roll them out with a rolling pin as well.

The ratio of masa harina to water came from the back of the bag, but the instructions came from my experience working with masa harina over the years. The main thing to do is to go slow and be gently with it. If it falls apart, don’t worry! Broken tortillas taste just as good. It takes a little practice knowing how thin is too thin of a tortilla to make it stick to your plastic. Just keep working with it and the easier it will get.

Blue Corn Tortillas

makes 10 tortillas

Ingredients

1 cup blue corn masa harina (we like Masienda brand)

1 cup warm water

gallon sized zip top plastic bags (for pressing tortillas)

Instructions

1. Combine masa harina and water in a large bowl. Stir together with your hand until it forms a smooth ball. If it seems too sticky, add a little more masa harina. If it is too dry, sprinkle a little more water on it.
2. Knead your dough ball just a bit, until it is smooth and you’ve incorporated all the bits stuck to the bowl.
3. Divide into 10 balls. Smooth them out (this will help your tortillas have a more round shape.
4. Heat a griddle or skillet for cooking tortillas.
5. If you are using a tortilla press:
   • Cut a gallon sized zip top bag into two separate sheets. Cut off the zipper end. You should have two squares of thick plastic.
   • Place one piece of plastic on the bottom side of your tortilla press. Put a dough ball on top of it.
   • Place your other piece of plastic on top of the dough ball and gently press your masa ball. I don’t have to press mine with much force because it is cast iron. If you press it too much, it will get too thin and stick to your plastic.
   • Gently remove the top sheet of plastic. Flip your tortilla onto your hand and GENTLY peel the plastic off. If it sticks, you may have pressed your tortilla too thin. Try again! Just scrape the masa off and get the plastic as clean as possible, then roll the dough back up.
   • If your plastic gets too dirty, you may want to use a fresh bag
6. If you are using a rolling pin:
   • Cut a gallon sized zip top bag into two separate sheets. Cut off the zipper end. You should have two squares of thick plastic.
   • Place one piece of plastic down on your counter. Put a dough ball on top and cover with your second piece of plastic.
   • Gently roll your dough ball into a 6 inch circle.
   • Gently peel your top sheet of plastic off.
   • Flip your tortilla onto your hand and gently peel off the other layer of plastic
7. Gently flop your tortilla directly onto a hot griddle or skillet to cook. Heat each side about 30 seconds-1 minutes, or until it feels dry and cooked. Cook time will depend on how thick your tortilla is.
8. Remove your cooked tortilla to a plate and serve warm with your favorite taco toppings.