Pour water into a pot or saucepan then add the strawberries, vanilla extract and sugar. Simmer until strawberries begin to break down.

Mix cornstarch with a little bit of water until fully dissolved. Mix into the strawberry mixture and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until the jam has thickened. Remove a tablespoon from the pot, allow to cool and if it thickens up it's ready.

Pour into a bowl and allow to cool completely before using. Cooling overnight is best or at least for a few hours.

Sort through the corn husks and remove any dirt, debris or damages husks. Rinse thoroughly then leave to soak in warm or hot water in the sink or in a very large container.

Whip the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy and airy. Add the baking powder and salt and mix until well combined. Mix in the vanilla extract.

Add the food coloring and mix until well combined. You can check the color and add more now if you want a brighter color. Or wait until you've mixed in the masa harina then add more coloring.

Add in the masa harina gradually and mix until well combined. Start pouring in the milk gradually and mixing it into the masa dough. Gradually add more milk as needed until you have a smooth, creamy, airy and easy to spread masa. The consistency will be like creamy peanut butter, not too thick and not too runny.

Drain the corn husks and shake off or pat dry to remove any excess water.

Lay a corn husks with the smooth, shiny side up then drop a couple tablespoons of the tamale masa onto it. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread it on the top wider end of the husk. Try not to go all the way to the top or side edges and the bottom tapered part shouldn't have any masa. Please reference the video or photos for a visual guide.

Next add a heaping tablespoon of cooled strawberry jam into the middle of dough (if you’re using cream cheese add it on top of the jam).

Grab both long sides of the corn husk and bring them towards the center to fold on top of each other. Now fold the narrow end up towards the top. If you’d like you can use a corn husk strip to tie around the tamal for decorative purposes or to help distinguish them from other tamales you may be making at the same time.

Repeat until all of the masa and filling has been used up. Don't make the tamales too big. I ended up with 16 medium-small tamales.

Fill the tamale steamer pot with water to the indicated water level. Secure the steaming rack then arrange the tamales, open side up, inside of the pot. Cover the pot with aluminum foil, cut a small whole in the center then secure the pot's lid in place.

Place on the stove over medium-high heat and allow to come to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat down to medium-low and steam for 45 minutes.

Carefully remove a tamal form the pot and allow to cool for 8 minutes. Unwrap and if it peels away from the corn husk easily then they tamales are cooked through. If not, steam for another 15 minutes. Then enjoy!