In our household, these cookies were rated as the absolute best. It doesn’t matter what time of year you make them; bring them to gatherings, keep them for your family, save one for yourself, save ten for yourself—whatever you choose! I can assure you that everyone will adore this delightful blend of sweetness that is not overpowering. You can consume these at any time, hot or cold. Both a container and a freezer can be used to keep them.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 45 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (19 ounce) can young green jackfruit packed in water, drained
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle bitter orange soda
- ⅛ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, divided
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
- 1 tablespoon grated panela
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup sliced Mexican pickled carrots and jalapenos
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- Rinse jackfruit, dry, and set aside.
- Whisk together soda, vinegar, 1/8 cup vegetable oil, and lime juice in a large mixing bowl. Add onion, chili powder, panela, pepper, salt, and bay leaves. Add jackfruit pieces and mix to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Pour jackfruit and marinade into a nonstick skillet. Bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced by 3/4, about 20 minutes. Pour into a colander and drain; remove and discard bay leaves.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add drained jackfruit and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to tear jackfruit into small pieces. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until each piece is as crispy as possible, 10 to 15 minutes. Add remaining vegetable oil, if necessary.
- Meanwhile, heat the corn tortillas on a griddle. Ladle equal portions of jackfruit carnitas into each tortilla. Top with pickled jalapenos and carrots. Sprinkle with cilantro and garnish each taco with a lime wedge. Serve hot.
- If you can’t find bitter orange soda, use regular orange soda or fresh orange juice, but reduce the panela by half and add a few dashes of bitters.