Alfajores
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
– Louis Borges.
Often associated with Argentina, alfajores are delectable sandwich cookies with silky dulce de leche in between sweet, buttery cookies reminiscent of shortbread. Very popular in South America – particularly Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru – alfajores originated in the Middle East and come to us by way of Spain, probably brought there with the invasion by the Moors. Indeed, Spanish words beginning with ‘al’ are believed to be of Arabic origin, and ‘alfajores’ might come from the Arabic al-hasú for “the filling” or “filled.”
While modern-day versions of this Latin American sandwich cookie might be coated with chocolate, or rolled in coconut, according to this HuffPost Taste article, the name ‘alfajores’ is the only thing tying the Latin American version of the cookie to the Spanish one nowadays, which is typically made with honey, almonds and spices.
The Steps
- Sift the dry ingredients together.
- Rub lemon zest with the sugar.
- Cream the sugar with the butter.
- Mix in egg yolks one at a time, then add the vanilla.
- Chill for at least an hour before rolling out.
- Cut and bake the cookies.
- Dollop about a teaspoon of dulce de leche on the bottom halves and twist top cookies on. Dust tops with powdered sugar.
Substitutions
Cornstarch plays a key role in this recipe, as does the homemade dulce de leche. But given the long simmering time to make your own milk caramel, no one’s gonna be mad if you substitute store-bought for your filling.
Update Note 12/18/20: As with macarons, humidity plays a big role here. If your cookies are too crumbly and dry to roll out, add a bit of milk. If they’re too sticky, chill them for a bit more.
Reality Bakes
This recipe will produce sweet, crumbly sandwich cookies and the combination with the dulce de leche makes this a dream of a dessert. Chilling the dough before rolling out will help you a lot. If the dough gets too sticky while you’re working with it, just chill it for about 10 minutes then roll again. I tend to like a slightly thicker cookie, so I roll mine to about 1/4-inch.
Because I’m a Librarian
The Borges quote at the opening was to celebrate one of Argentina’s most beloved writers. Ficciones is perhaps one of his best-known works. Check out “The Library of Babel” from this collection. It’s stayed with me ever since I first read it years ago.
Alfajores
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 7 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dulce de leche*
- Confectioners sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, rub the lemon zest and granulated sugar together with your fingers.
- In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the lemon zest-sugar mixture with butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, scraping down the bowl between and after additions. Add vanilla extract and mix just until combined. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating just until combined.
- Gather the dough into a ball and then flatten into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour or up to 3 days.
- When ready to roll out cookies, let dough rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out into rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter and place the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (Fluted cookie cutters are traditional but round is fine.)
- Gather scraps and re-roll to get 24 to 28 cookie halves. Chill cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies just start to appear golden brown at the edges. Cool cookies in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Spread about a teaspoon of dulce de leche on the bottom half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining top halves, pressing slightly and twisting to evenly distribute filling. Dust the tops with confectioners sugar.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 or 6 days.
Notes
This came out so dry I couldn’t even get it into a ball or roll it out. I had to add milk. Any ideas?
Oh no! Did they come out after you added the milk? I have found that much like macarons, humidity makes a big difference here. If they’re just too crumbly, I add milk, just as you did. Chilling a little longer might help, too, though you’ll want to let the dough warm up enough to roll it. Like with pie dough, it can crack horribly when rolling if too cold. It can be tricky finding that sweet spot.
I am having the same issue. I even refrigerated them overnight. I live in Colorado so maybe it’s the altitude or that it’s very dry here. I’ll try adding some milk as well.