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Alfajores: Dulce de leche sandwich cookies
4.9 from 87 votes

Alfajores: Dulce de leche sandwich cookies

Alfajores are sandwich cookies made from cornstarch shortbread that incorporates all-purpose flour, cornstarch, butter, baking powder, egg yolks, lemon zest, milk, and powdered sugar for a tender, delicate texture. After rolling thin and baking, the cookies are filled with dulce de leche and often decorated with grated coconut and powdered sugar for sweetness and texture contrast.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 16 alfajores cookies
Course: Dessert, Baked Goods
Cuisine: South American, Peruvian, Venezuelan, Colombian, Chilean, Ecuadorian

Ingredients

For the cornstarch shortbread cookies:
  • 1¼ cup all-purpose flour 1¼cups flour = 150 grams
  • 1¼ cup cornstarch 1¼ cups cornstarch = 160 grams
  • ½ cup butter room temperature, ½ cup of butter = 113 grams
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest or lime zest
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
  • ½ cup powdered sugar sifted, ½ cup powdered sugar = 60 grams, or icing sugar
For the filling and decoration:
  • ¾ cup dulce de leche
  • ½ cup coconut grated dry
  • powdered sugar to taste, or icing sugar

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Sift the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. Stir all the ingredients very well and add the lemon zest.
  2. Use an electric hand mixer to mix the butter with the powdered sugar (previously sifted) until you get a creamy mixture.
  3. Add the milk and egg yolks, continue mixing until all the ingredients are well combined.
  4. Add the flour mixture in batches and mix well in between adding each batch of flour. The final dough should be smooth and not sticky. If it's still sticky you can add an additional handful of flour.
  5. Divide the dough into two equal parts and make two balls of dough. Then gently squash each ball into a thick disk shape. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
  6. Preheat the oven to 375F (200 ° C).
  7. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten and extend the dough until you have a thin layer. The maximum thickness of the layer should be about five millimeters (less than ¼ inch).
  8. Use a round cookie cutter mold to cut as many circles as you can. I used a 2 in (5 cm) round mold. You can make them smaller or larger, just adjust the baking time accordingly.
  9. Put the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leave at least two centimeters or ¾ inch of space between each cookie to keep them from sticking together.
  10. Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until they are lightly golden. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool down completely.
  11. Take a cooled down cookie and place a teaspoon of dulce de leche on its inner surface (the part that was stuck to the baking sheet), spread it well to the edges of the cookie and then gently stick another cookie (baking side on the caramel) on top to form a cookie sandwich.
  12. Place the grated dry coconut on a flat plate and roll each stuffed cookie in the coconut mix until it sticks to the dulce de leche filling, giving it the characteristic look of the alfajor cookie. You can also dust the cookies with powdered sugar.
  13. You can keep the alfajores or dulce de leche cookies refrigerated for a week.

Notes

  • Powdered sugar can be substituted by grinding regular granulated sugar in a blender until fine for a smoother dough texture.
  • Ensure the dough is rolled to a thin 5 millimeters for proper cookie texture and baking.