Best 5 Alfajores Recipe Peruvian Style Recipes

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**Alfajores: A Taste of Peruvian Delights**

Alfajores are traditional Peruvian cookies that have captured the hearts of dessert enthusiasts worldwide. These sweet treats are a harmonious blend of crumbly shortbread cookies sandwiched with layers of dulce de leche, a luscious caramel-like spread, and then generously coated with shredded coconut. Alfajores boast a rich history, originating in the kitchens of Spanish convents during the colonial era. Over time, they evolved into a symbol of Peruvian culinary heritage, often served during special occasions and celebrations.

Embark on a culinary journey with our collection of alfajores recipes, each offering a unique twist on this classic dessert. From the classic Peruvian Alfajores, filled with homemade dulce de leche and rolled in coconut, to the Alfajores de Maicena, featuring a cornstarch-based dough, and the Alfajores de Chocolate, where the dulce de leche is infused with rich chocolate, this article presents a delightful array of alfajores variations.

Indulge in the Alfajores de Nuez, which incorporate chopped walnuts into the dough for an added textural dimension. Discover the Alfajores de Almendras, where ground almonds lend a nutty flavor to the cookies. For a modern take on this timeless treat, try the Alfajores de Maracuya, filled with a tangy passion fruit curd. And for those who prefer a gluten-free option, the Alfajores Sin Gluten cater to dietary preferences without compromising on taste.

With detailed instructions and helpful tips, this article guides you through the process of creating these delectable cookies. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, you'll find the recipes easy to follow and the results simply irresistible. So, gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and prepare to embark on an alfajores-baking adventure. Let the sweet aromas of these Peruvian delights fill your home as you create a symphony of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more.

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

PERUVIAN ALFAJORES WITH MANJAR BLANCO



Peruvian Alfajores with Manjar Blanco image

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

2 cups white sugar
3 sticks butter
5 cups cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
3 tablespoons pisco
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons water, or as needed
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, or as needed
2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 (6 ounce) can evaporated milk
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup confectioners' sugar, or to taste

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 COOKIES)



Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies) image

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

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar
¼ cup sifted cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (11.5 ounce) jar dulce de leche
¼ cup confectioners' sugar, or as needed for dusting

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 ARGENTINEAN STYLE



Alfajores Argentinean Style image

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

1 ⅔ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup white sugar
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla rum
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 (11.5 ounce) jar dulce de leche
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

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



Alfajores image

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

2 (13.4-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk, labels removed
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters brandy
1 teaspoon/2 grams finely grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons/10 milliliters vanilla extract
1 cup/125 grams all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon/165 grams cornstarch
1 teaspoon/5 grams baking powder
1/4 teaspoon/1 gram baking soda
1/2 teaspoon/3 grams fine sea salt, plus a pinch for dulce de leche
1/2 cup/100 grams granulated sugar
10 tablespoons/141 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1 cup/100 grams finely ground dried coconut

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



Alfajores image

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

200g plain flour
300g corn flour
2 tsp baking powder
250g unsalted butter , softened at room temperature
150g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
3 large egg yolks
1 tbsp cognac
1 tsp vanilla extract
450g jar dulce de leche
50g desiccated coconut

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

Tips:

  • Use high-quality dulce de leche for the best flavor.
  • If you don't have cornstarch, you can use all-purpose flour instead.
  • Make sure the dough is well chilled before rolling it out. This will help prevent it from sticking to the counter or rolling pin.
  • If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can use a glass or cup to cut out the cookies.
  • Bake the cookies until they are just golden brown. Overbaking will make them dry and crumbly.
  • Let the cookies cool completely before filling them with dulce de leche. This will help prevent the filling from seeping out.
  • If you want to make the cookies ahead of time, you can freeze them for up to 2 months. Just thaw them at room temperature before serving.

Conclusion:

Alfajores are a delicious and easy-to-make Peruvian cookie. They are perfect for any occasion, from a casual get-together to a special event. With their sweet and creamy filling, these cookies are sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them. So next time you're looking for a new cookie recipe to try, give alfajores a try. You won't be disappointed!

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