Alfajores are a traditional South American pastry that consists of two or more round, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche, a sweet milk caramel spread. These delicate treats are popular throughout Latin America and Spain, and each region has its own unique variation. In Argentina, alfajores are typically made with cornstarch, while in Peru, they are made with ground almonds or pecans. The filling can also vary, with some recipes using chocolate ganache or fruit preserves instead of dulce de leche. This article presents three delicious alfajores recipes: a classic alfajores recipe, an alfajores recipe with chocolate ganache filling, and an alfajores recipe with fruit preserves filling. Each recipe includes step-by-step instructions and helpful tips to ensure that your alfajores turn out perfect. Whether you are a seasoned baker or a beginner, you are sure to find the perfect alfajores recipe in this collection. So, get ready to embark on a culinary journey through the delightful flavors of South America and indulge in the irresistible goodness of alfajores.
Let's cook with our recipes!
ALFAJORES DE MAIZENA
I love these! They are a delicious sweet cookie from Argentina. They are a sandwich cookie - biscuit type cookie with Dulce De Leche in the middle then rolled in coconut. Sometimes they're called "cornstarch cookies". My mother-in-law first introduced these to me. She would make mine with crushed nuts or shaved white chocolate on the outside though as I have an allergy to coconut. Also, you can add 1 tablespoon of cognac for the traditional recipe, but I usually don't. ** You can buy Dulce de Leche in Spanish grocer or some of the larger supermarkets sell it by the condensed milk, if not, follow below... For the Dulce de Leche: Pour the two cans of condensed milk into a double boiler set over low heat. Cook milk, stirring once in a while, for 2-4 hours, until mixture thickens and becomes caramel-like. Remove from double boiler and refrigerate until needed. Mixture will firm with chilling.
Provided by BlondieItaliana
Categories Dessert
Time 35m
Yield 12-16 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar gradually, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon rind.
- Sift together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder and soda. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating until thoroughly combined.
- Drop the batter by small spoonfuls onto well buttered baking sheets. Leave enough space between the cookies because they will spread.
- Bake in a 350 degrees oven 15 minutes. Immediately remove from the baking sheets and let cool.
- When cool, spread some Dulce de leche on the bottom half of the cookies and make a sandwich with the remaining cookies. Squeeze the sandwiches so that some of the dulce de leche is squeezed out the sides, and roll the sides in the grated coconut.
PERUVIAN ALFAJORES WITH MANJAR BLANCO
These are the nectar of the gods. Shortbread cookies with a sweet filling, covered in powdered sugar. Mmm. They are time consuming to make, but always worth it.
Provided by Kara Marie Cormier
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American South American Peruvian
Time 2h10m
Yield 48
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Beat white sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Add cornstarch, flour, eggs, pisco, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix gently until combined.
- Turn dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand until smooth. Add water as needed. Divide in half, refrigerate 1 portion, and leave the other out.
- Coat your work surface with powdered sugar. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 2-inch rounds with a cookie cutter or shot glass. Place rounds close together on a baking sheet. Prick each cookie twice with a fork.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; cookies should still be white and soft, not crispy, and will firm up as they cool. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Pour condensed milk, evaporated milk, and brown sugar into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until filling approaches the consistency of thick caramel, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat; mixture will firm up as it cools to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Pour confectioners' sugar into a shallow bowl. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of the filling over cooled cookies. Attach every two cookies together to make the alfajores. Roll alfajores in confectioners' sugar.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 226.6 calories, Carbohydrate 35.9 g, Cholesterol 37.3 mg, Fat 7.9 g, Fiber 0.3 g, Protein 2.7 g, SaturatedFat 4.8 g, Sodium 83 mg, Sugar 19.7 g
ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH CRèME COOKIES)
Prize-Winning Recipe 2007! Take a delicious taste adventure with a traditional cookie of South America. Two cookies made with a time-saving cookie mix are sandwiched with dulce de leche and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Provided by Betty Crocker Kitchens
Categories Dessert
Time 1h20m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, stir cookie mix, 1/2 cup of the coconut, the pecans, butter and egg until stiff dough forms.
- On floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
- Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.
- To make each sandwich cookie, spread about 2 teaspoons dulce de leche on bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press cookies together so some of filling seeps out around edges. Roll edges in remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Place cookies on cooling rack.
- Sprinkle tops of sandwich cookies with powdered sugar. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 190, Carbohydrate 28 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Fat 1 1/2, Fiber 0 g, Protein 3 g, SaturatedFat 4 g, ServingSize 1 Sandwich Cookie, Sodium 95 mg, Sugar 19 g, TransFat 1 g
PERUVIAN ALFAJORES
Delicate shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche and covered in powdered sugar. This is the Peruvian recipe.
Provided by F Polack
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American South American Peruvian
Time 3h35m
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Sift flour and 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar together into a bowl. Rub the shortening into the flour until completely incorporated to form a dough. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thick, then cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch circles with a small, round cookie cutter. Place circles onto an ungreased baking sheet, and poke each twice with a fork.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Disks should be removed from the oven while still pale, they should not brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- To assemble the alfajores, spread one of the disks with a teaspoon of dulce de leche, then place a second disk on top, creating a sandwich. Repeat with remaining disks, then dust with confectioners' sugar.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 228.5 calories, Carbohydrate 24.9 g, Cholesterol 0.8 mg, Fat 13.4 g, Fiber 0.6 g, Protein 2.5 g, SaturatedFat 3.2 g, Sodium 13.8 mg, Sugar 8 g
GLUTEN-FREE SANDWICH COOKIES WITH DULCE DE LECHE (ALFAJORES)
These gluten-free sandwich cookie treats are very popular in Latin cultures, simply made with cornstarch and filled with dulce de leche.
Provided by Fioa
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American South American Argentinian
Time 1h2m
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
- Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in egg yolks, one at a time, until well combined. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract with the last egg. Fold into flour mixture with a spoon, mixing until dough holds together and turns into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut cookies with a small round cookie cutter and place on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven until set but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove immediately to cool on a wire rack.
- Spread underside of a cookie with 1 teaspoon dulce de leche. Sandwich together with another cookie until filling comes out on the sides. Roll sides in the shredded coconut.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 221.6 calories, Carbohydrate 31.3 g, Cholesterol 47.6 mg, Fat 10.3 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 1.8 g, SaturatedFat 6.2 g, Sodium 97.5 mg, Sugar 12.6 g
ALFAJORES (PERUVIAN)
Steps:
- Remove labels of of milk cans - do NOT open the can. Boil unopened can(s) of sweet condensed milk in deep pots with plenty of water over a high heat for 1.5-2 hours. The more you boil it the deeper, more caramelly and more flavorful the filling will be. Make sure the water does not run out and the pot does not run dry. Turn off heat and allow water to cool for about 20-30 min. Remove can from water with pinchers and allow the can to cool to room temperature. While milk is boiling, mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter a stick at a time in chunks, working through to make small chunks (you can use a food processor for the first 2 sticks). When you add the last stick of butter you should be able to form a ball of dough. Try not to overwork dough. Refridgerate dough for 15 min. Roll out dough (I do half at a time) on smooth stone or wooden surface using plenty of flour on both sides and on rolling pin to avoid sticking. Roll out to 1/4 in thick and then cut out shapes with a round cookie cutter. With a spatula or with fingers, arrange cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Continue rolling cookie dough and placing onto baking sheet until all the dough is gone. Bake at 350 degrees until cookies are brown (about 10-15 min.) Remove from oven, cool. Separate cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula. Using a can opener, open the room temperature can(s) of sweet condensed milk. Do not open if still warm. Using a small spreading knife, (like a cheese knife), spread a small amount on the bottom side of a cookie. Place a similar size cookie on top to make a sandwich and put aside (on another baking sheet). Once all cookies have been made into a sandwich, and have been placed on a sheet evenly spaced apart, place about 1/4 cp of powdered sugar on sieve and sprinkle over cookies. Enjoy!
ALFAJORES DE MAICENA
Categories Cookies Egg Dessert Bake Quick & Easy High Fiber Mother's Day
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Bata las yemas con el azucar y eche la manteca diluida, la ralladura de limon y luego los ingredientes secos, com son harinas y royal. Nota: En un papel se lone la taza de harina, maizena, royal y poco a poco se le pone a los huevos batidos, que ya estan con el azucar y manteca. La msa tiene que ser suave, no seca! Es mejor que falte la harina a que sobre (tazas no muy llenas). Hacer los discos de copitas pequena y rellenar con dulce de leche.
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 (SOUTH AMERICAN DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES)
While they have origins in Moorish Spain, alfajores are especially popular in South America. They are simple shortbread sandwich cookies with a sweet filling of Recipe #456177. Different doughs are used for the cookies depending on the country. Some use normal flour dough, while others add cornstarch or even cassava flour for a more delicate crumb. This recipe uses a mixture of flour and cornstarch. Enjoy!
Provided by Nif_H
Categories Dessert
Time 50m
Yield 20 cookies
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Sift the cornstarch, flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beating until they are incorporated.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, allowing each batch to become incorporated before adding the next.
- Form the dough into a disc without handling it too much. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 40 2-inch rounds, and carefully place the rounds on two lightly greased cookie sheets.
- Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, but not so long that they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.
- Spread about 2 teaspoons of dulce de leche on the flat half of a cookie and cover it with the flat half of another cookie to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- If desired, sprinkle the finished cookies with powdered sugar.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 142.3, Fat 7.4, SaturatedFat 4.5, Cholesterol 34.9, Sodium 20.6, Carbohydrate 18.2, Fiber 0.2, Sugar 7.5, Protein 1
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
CHOCOLATE ALFAJORES
Chocolate alfajores, also known as alfajores de chocolate, are a popular South American dessert made of slightly sweetened shortbread cookies filled with a rich and creamy milk caramel called dulce de leche. It's best to chill the dough at least 2 hours so the cookies hold when baking. -Kimberly Scott, Kosciusko, Mississippi
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 45m
Yield about 1-1/2 dozen.
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Shape dough into a disk; wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, 2 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake just until set, 5-7 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Spread dulce de leche on bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Press edges into coconut. Refrigerate in airtight containers.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 173 calories, Fat 8g fat (5g saturated fat), Cholesterol 45mg cholesterol, Sodium 126mg sodium, Carbohydrate 23g carbohydrate (15g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.
Tips:
- Use high-quality dulce de leche. This is the key ingredient in alfajores, so make sure it's good.
- Don't overmix the dough. Overmixing will make the cookies tough.
- Chill the dough before rolling it out. This will help to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies until they are just set. Overbaking will make them dry and crumbly.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling them. This will help to prevent the filling from seeping out.
- If you don't have time to make your own dulce de leche, you can use store-bought. Just make sure it's a good quality brand.
- Alfajores can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Conclusion:
Alfajores are a delicious and easy-to-make cookie that is perfect for any occasion. With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can create a delicious treat that will impress your friends and family. So next time you're looking for a sweet treat, give alfajores a try. You won't be disappointed!
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