Alfajores are a traditional Latin American cookie sandwich made from two soft, chewy cookies filled with dulce de leche, a sweet, thick caramel spread. They are often coated in powdered sugar, shredded coconut, or chocolate.
The article provides three recipes for alfajores: a classic recipe, a chocolate alfajores recipe, and a dulce de membrillo alfajores recipe. The classic recipe uses simple ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, while the chocolate alfajores recipe adds cocoa powder to the cookie dough for a rich chocolate flavor. The dulce de membrillo alfajores recipe uses quince paste instead of dulce de leche for a tart and tangy filling.
All three recipes are relatively easy to make and can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are perfect for parties, potlucks, or as a sweet treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.
ALFAJORES ARGENTINEAN STYLE
This is a traditional cookie that is much loved in most Latin cultures. Even my mother in law says they're the BEST, and that is saying a lot considering she is from Mendoza, Argentina!
Provided by Christina-Chrisi Marvasi
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American South American Argentinian
Time 1h20m
Yield 36
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, allowing each yolk to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla rum, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest with the last egg. Gently fold in the flour mixture with a spoon, making a crumbly dough. When the dough becomes cohesive enough, press it together into a ball with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough, using as little flour as possible, about 1/4 inch thick. The dough will have an unusual consistency. Cut with a small round cookie cutter. Continue pressing the dough together, rolling it out, and cutting until you have used it all. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven until set but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies immediately to cool on a wire rack.
- Spread the underside of a cooled cookie with a teaspoon of dulce de leche, then sandwich together with another cookie until the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in the shredded coconut.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 156.7 calories, Carbohydrate 22.5 g, Cholesterol 31.7 mg, Fat 6.8 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 1.4 g, SaturatedFat 4.1 g, Sodium 65.1 mg, Sugar 8.3 g
ALFAJORES
Popular all over Latin America, dulce de leche confections called alfajores come in many varieties. In this popular version, delicate, crumbly butter cookies are sandwiched with a thick layer of dulce de leche before being rolled in coconut. They are petite yet decadent morsels that go particularly well with strong black coffee to cut their creamy richness. You can make the dulce de leche a week ahead (store it in the refrigerator) and the cookies 5 days ahead (store them in an airtight container at room temperature). Once sandwiched together, the cookies will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 days, but are best eaten within 24 hours of filling.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories cookies and bars, dessert
Time 4h
Yield About 50 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Make the dulce de leche: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then carefully lower condensed milk cans on their sides into the water. Simmer for 3 hours 15 minutes, refilling with hot water as needed to keep cans submerged. Never let the water boil away, or the cans could burst. Using tongs, transfer cans to a rack to let cool completely before opening.
- In a small bowl, combine brandy, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks and beat to combine, then add brandy mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
- Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from plastic wrap and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place on prepared sheet pans, then bake until edges start to turn golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer each pan to a rack to cool completely.
- In a small bowl, combine dulce de leche with remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and a large pinch of salt. Spoon the mixture into a plastic zipper bag and cut a corner off. (Or you could scoop it into a pastry bag if you prefer, or just use a spoon.)
- Flip half of the cookies upside down and pipe a thick layer of dulce de leche onto bottoms (or use a spoon to spoon the mixture on). Top with remaining cookies to sandwich the dulce de leche in the middle. Roll sides in coconut. Eat right away, or store in the refrigerator until serving.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 125, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 5 grams, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 35 milligrams, Sugar 10 grams, TransFat 0 grams
ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES)
Given to me by a chef who sweet-talked the recipe out of a street vendor in Peru. These alfajores are to die for.
Provided by vegchef
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American South American Peruvian
Time 1h27m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Mix flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl. Place butter in a separate bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft and fluffy. Add white sugar and vanilla and mix well.
- Add flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture in 3 stages; mix until just blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log. Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Slice dough logs into 1/4-inch cookies and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to turn golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
- Use a knife to apply a generous amount of dulce de leche on one cookie. Sandwich another cookie on top and place on a serving tray. Repeat with remaining cookies and dulce de leche. Lightly dust finished cookies with confectioners' sugar.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 174.6 calories, Carbohydrate 23.2 g, Cholesterol 22 mg, Fat 8.4 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 1.8 g, SaturatedFat 4.9 g, Sodium 105.8 mg, Sugar 12 g
ALFAJORES
These melt-in-the-mouth shortbread-like cookies originate from South America and are filled with dulce de leche and rolled in desiccated coconut
Provided by Sophie Godwin - Cookery writer
Categories Snack, Treat
Time 1h5m
Yield makes 30
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Combine the flour, corn flour and baking powder together in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Using a food mixer or an electric whisk in another bowl beat the butter together with the sugar and lemon zest until very pale. Add the egg yolks followed by the Cognac and vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients until you have smooth dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 1 hour. You can make the biscuit dough the day before and leave in the fridge.
- Line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin then cut out 60 biscuits with a 5cm round or fluted cutter. Put the biscuits back in the fridge for 20 mins to firm up.
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the biscuits for 8 mins until just set. You want the biscuits to stay pale with a crumbly texture. Leave to cool completely before sandwiching two biscuits together with a spoonful of dulce de leche. Once all the biscuits are sandwiched together roll in desiccated coconut.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 157 calories, Fat 7 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 21 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 9 grams sugar, Fiber 0.4 grams fiber, Protein 2 grams protein, Sodium 0.1 milligram of sodium
ALFAJORES
These alfajores cookies are courtesy of blogger Matt Armendariz of mattbites.com.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes
Yield Makes about 30
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing until well combined, about 1 minute. Working in batches, add flour mixture; mix until well combined. Add milk, orange juice, and vanilla; continue mixing until a dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Using a tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Transfer to oven and bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack until completely cool.
- When cookies have cooled completely, spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with dulche de leche, cajeta, or jam; sandwich together with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Just before serving, lightly sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.
Tips:
- To make the alfajor cookies more flavorful, use high-quality dulce de leche. You can either make your own or buy it from a store.
- If you don't have any cornstarch, you can use flour instead. However, the cornstarch will help to make the cookies more tender.
- Be careful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing will make the cookies tough.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. If the dough is too thick, the cookies will be dense and dry. If the dough is too thin, the cookies will be crispy and crumbly.
- Bake the cookies until they are golden brown around the edges. If the cookies are not baked long enough, they will be soft and gooey. If the cookies are baked too long, they will be dry and crumbly.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling them. If you fill the cookies while they are still warm, the filling will melt and make the cookies soggy.
Conclusion:
Alfajor cookies are a delicious and easy-to-make treat. They are perfect for any occasion, from a casual get-together to a special holiday. With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can make these cookies that will impress your friends and family.
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