Molletes dulces are a delicious Mexican sweet treat made with bolillo bread sliced, buttered, toasted, and then served with sugar and cinnamon powder.

The recipe is really simple and can be made in just 15 minutes, making it perfect to enjoy for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack.

What are molletes dulces?

The recipe is the sweet version of traditional Mexican molletes which features toasted bread with frijoles refritos (refried beans) spread on it and topped with cheese and fresh salsa.

Sweet molletes (dulce means sweet in English) are made by spreading butter on an half-sliced bread, toasting it on a comal or pan, and serving it with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon. A simple, yet delicious treat.

Two molletes on a cutting board, buttered, and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

The dish is a staple in Mexico where is not only prepared at home but often sold as street food with various toppings.

I remember last time one of my brothers and I went to Mexico together, we stopped on our way to the airport (at 6 am) to eat a fast breakfast on the street and we got some delicious molletes dulces with freshly made bolillos and coffee.

A collage with a dawn in Cuyutlán town, and molletes dulces street food.
My hometown Cuyutlán at dawn and some molletes we ate for breakfast.

What type of bread to use?

In Mexico is very common to use the bread is available such as bolillos, teleras, or birotes, all of them are pretty similar and the texture is perfect for this type of recipes as they are soft on the inside with a slightly crunchy crust.

Here’s our recipe for making bolillos at home, but if you want to try with other types of bread be my guest. The most common choice is a baguette, but also dinner rolls can be a nice option.

The ingredients for sweet molletes aka molletes dulces, scattered on a marble surface.

The Recipe Directions

Before starting, Heat a comal or a griddle over medium heat and gather all your ingredients. Make sure the butter is soft enough to be easy to spread. Also, mix sugar a cinnamon powder in a small bowl. Set aside.

  • Cut the bread lenghtwise and place the bread upside down on the griddle.
  • Toast the bread slightly, you might need to low the heat to prevent the bread from burning.
  • Turn the bread to toast the crust and then spread butter on the crumb. You can make this while the bread is still on the griddle or remove it, add butter, and then return it to the continue toasting.
  • Place the toasted and buttered bread on a serving plate, dust with sugar and cinnamon and serve.
Close up on a buttery mollete.

How To Eat

Sweet molletes can be eaten just with some sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top, but also drizzled with condensed milk or with Mexican caramel.

Then for drinking, there’s nothing better than homemade café de olla, a good champurrado, or corn atole. All those are popular options, but some families (like mine) also eat them with a glass of cold milk.

Sweet Mexican Molletes Dulces.

Making a large batch?

If you want to double or triple the recipe, I recommend to making your molettes dulces in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F and toast the bread slightly. Remove them, spread butter and return to the oven for 2-3 more minutes. Serve as suggested.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

  • Store the leftovers in an airtight container, or wrap them with cling film to prevent the bread from getting hard.
  • To reheat, you can place molletes dulces on a baking tray and reheat in the oven at 350°F/175°C for a couple of minutes. Or you can also butter a no-stick pan reheat leftovers over medium-low heat.

More sweet Mexican breakfasts

Molletes dulces recipe.

Molletes Dulces

8 molletes
Molletes dulces are a delicious Mexican breakfast made with bolillo bread sliced, buttered, toasted, and then served with condensed milk or cajeta.
prep 5 minutes
cook 10 minutes
total 15 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 4 medium bolillos bread (cut lengthwise )
  • 8 Tbsp butter (soften)
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • condensed milk for serving (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Mix sugar and cinnamon powder in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat up a griddle or no-stick pan over medium heat.
  • Place the bread upside down and toast it slightly.
  • Turn the bread to toast the crust and then spread butter on the crumb.
  • Place the toasted and buttered bread on a serving plate.
  • Dust with sugar and cinnamon, and drizzle with condensed milk if you want.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 502IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    What a simple recipe, even tho I never heard of molletes dulces before, now I want to make some.
    PS: gorgeous shoot of your hometown!

  2. 5 stars
    I only knew about the salty version of molletes, never heard about molletes dulces :D they look like a real treat to me. Thank you for the recipe, I’d love to make this for my kids for breakfast.