This classic, South American alfajores recipe is filled with melt-in-your-mouth dulce de leche and rolled in shredded coconut. They are so soft, delicate, decadent, and so easy to make! You’ll love how the different textures come together to create an amazing cookie.
As far as I know, there are two ways of making alfajores: the Argentinean style and the American style. While the latter is usually made of a simple shortbread cookie, the classic Argentinean cookies are so much better in texture, and are the most melt-in-your-mouth cookies on this planet. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but let me have my moment.
Alfajores are a classic Argentinian cookie filled with dulce de leche and rolled in coconut. Not only is this combination heavenly, but the cookie itself is extremely soft and tender.
The coconut adds a great flavor and cuts some of the sweetness, so I strongly suggest adding it. While you can make your own dulce de leche at home, I prefer using store-bought for these cookies because it really tastes just as good.
Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)
Classic alfajores filled with dulce de leche and rolled in shredded coconut. They are so soft they’ll melt in your mouth!
Prep: 15min
Total: 150min
Yield: 3
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/8 cups (300g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 3/4 sticks (200g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar or 1 1/4 cups (150g) powdered sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 350 g (12 oz.) dulce de leche, for filling
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded or desiccated coconut (, for rolling)
Instruction:
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract just until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Do not overmix or the cookies will turn out tough.
- Form the dough into a ball, then flatten slightly to form a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until firm enough to roll.
- If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to a month, then thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface (or between 2 pieces of parchment paper), roll the dough to a 1/8 or 1/4-inch (3-5mm) thickness. Cut out into rounds using a 2-inch (5cm) fluted or round cookie cutter, and place the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- If at any point the dough becomes too warm, place it back into the fridge for a few minutes. Re-roll the remaining scraps and repeat. Place sheets with cookies in the freezer or fridge for at least 15 minutes, until firm, so that they will be less prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies appear golden brown at the edges. Allow cookies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Spread the bottom half of the cookies with dulce de leche (about a teaspoon). Sandwich together with remaining cookies, pressing slightly so that the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in shredded coconut.
- Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave on the counter, still covered, or overnight in the fridge.
Alfajores Recipe
Popular all over Latin America, Alfajores are a tasty treat the whole family will enjoy. This alfajores recipe is super easy to make and sure to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Prep: 20min
Total: 33min
Yield: 12
Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 Cookie, calories 102 kcal, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 33 mg, Sodium 98 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 6 g
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup Flour
- 1 cup Cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 stick Butter (softened)
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 8 oz Dulce de Leche (jar or bottle )
- Powdered Sugar
Instruction:
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In the bowl of a mixer, place the softened butter and the sugar. Then, mix until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the lemon zest, egg yolks, water, and vanilla.
- Mix until combined, then slowly add the flour mixture. Mix just until it is combined, but don’t over mix.
- Form dough into a disk then wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and chill until it is firm, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour a work surface.
- Cut the dough in half and return unused portion to the fridge.
- Roll out the half of dough you are using to 1/4 inch thickness and then cut into 12 2-inch rounds, re-rolling scraps if necessary.
- Place the dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 11-13 minutes, or until they are just golden on the bottom edges. The cookies will be quite pale on top, this is fine.
- Remove the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough half. You will have 24 cookies after baking.
- Once the cookies have cooled, turn over half of them. Then, using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, place a tablespoon or two of the dulce de leche on the flat surface of the upside down cookie. Place a right side up cookie on top of the filling, and gently press to sandwich them together. Repeat with the remaining cookies. (You’ll have 12 sandwich cookies total.)
- Dust generously with powdered sugar and serve!
Alfajores Cookies
FAQ
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