If you love soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, these delicate cornstarch alfajores are a must-try. A little different from the shortbread version, these Colombian-style alfajores are light, powdery, buttery and have a hint of anise. And while I can't say they are exactly like what you'd find in Colombia, they come close to the ones my daughter loves from a Boston Colombian bakery.
Colombian Bakery Alfajores
The photo above is what inspired these alfajores. My daughter (aka Fuzz) recently went to Boston for a wedding and made a pilgrimage to one of her favorite bakeries. She has a couple including Flour (mostly for sandwiches), but this one is in East Boston not far from the airport. Anyhow, she sent a photo describing the cookies as buttery, soft-but-not-crumbly, and delicately flavored with anise. I like to think that has her mom I know everything about her, but I didn't realize she had been to this bakery so many times or that she dreams about their alfajores.
So I got to thinking about the cookies then Colombia itself and started reading about the country and its bakeries, which was a fun rabbit hole. After a few days of testing different ratios and techniques, I landed on this recipe for soft, powdery alfajores that I think are very close to the Boston bakery version.
Alfajores Dough
The cookies are pretty simple. I flavored them with a little anise extract and a touch of butter emulsion, but those are optional. The cookies are excellent with just vanilla, and you could even swap in a little cinnamon if you prefer a warmer spice. The dough is easy to work with and doesn't spread much. I have a habit of cutting the dough too thick, but luckily they do soften. If you like thinner Alfajores, cut the dough thinner and be careful not to overbake. Here's one that's a little overbaked. Delicious, but maybe a little too brown.
Dulce de Leche vs. Arequipe
For the filling, Colombian dulce de leche is called arequipe, and it is traditionally a bit richer and fuller than the standard dulce de leche we make at home. You can order some, or just make some dulce de leche, which is what I did. I used my Instant Pot dulce de leche recipe, but cooked it a little longer than usual and stirred in a tablespoon of browned butter and a teaspoon of vanilla to deepen the flavor.
Weight of Cornstarch Brands
This dough contains a lot of cornstarch so it's worth noting that different brands can weigh very differently per cup. Argo brand cornstarch is noticeably lighter than Clabber Girl. I haven't yet tested other brands, but the takeaway is that measuring this much cornstarch by volume can easily throw off the recipe.
For that reason I recommend weighing the cornstarch for the best results. If you don't have a scale and want to make the cookies right away, start with about 1½ cups of cornstarch, lightly fluffed and spooned into the measuring cup. But if possible, weighing is the safest approach.
Resting the Cookies
Alfajores actually improve with a little rest. After sandwiching the cookies with dulce de leche or arequipe, let them sit in a closed container for several hours or even overnight. During this time, a little moisture from the filling migrates into the cookies. This softens the crumb just enough to transform them from slightly sandy and crumbly into to that "soft but not crumbly" texture Fuzz was talking about.
Here's the recipe. With 4 egg yolks, you can make the whole thing of halve or even quarter it quite easily. I made several batches in different shapes, as you can see by all the pictures.
Recipe
Colombian Bakery Style Alfajores
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (Plugra) (140 grams)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (90 grams)
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon anise extract
- ½ teaspoon butter flavoring (optional)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned lightly into the cup (125 grams)
- 1 ½ cups cornstarch, but go by weight! (195 grams)
- 2 tablespoons whole milk powder (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 1 can condensed milk (14 oz)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened or browned
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
Finishing
- 2-3 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting
- 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped coconut for rolling (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and extract and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, milk powder, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture and beat on low with the paddle attachment crumbly. The mixture will be very dry, but it should hold together when you pinch it. Do not overmix with the paddle. Once it starts coming together, use your hands to mix it.
- Empty mixture onto a mat or a large sheet of parchment paper and press down flat, folding it over on itself if you need to to make it a large cohesive slab. Set a piece of parchment paper on top and roll to ¼ inch thickness. Transfer parchment to a tray and refrigerate the rolled dough for about 45 minutes.
- Take out the chilled dough slab and peel away parchment. Use a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles.
- Bake the circles on an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet at 325 degrees F for about 12 minutes. The tops won't brown, but the bottoms will brown a little.
- Let cool completely before filling.
- Spoon dulce de leche onto half the cookies and sandwich with the remaining halves. At this point you can roll them sideways in coconut if you like, or leave the sides blank. Put the cookies in a container, cover, and let age for a few hours or overnight.
- Dust the cookies with powdered sugar before serving.
Instant Pot Dulce de Leche or Arquipe
- Remove the label and the top from the can of condensed milk, then wrap it in foil. Set the can on a piece of foil and smooth the foil upward onto the sides, then put a piece of foil over the top and press foil downward.
- Set the trivet in the Instant Pot, set the can on the trivet, then add enough water to come halfway up the side of the can.
- Close the Instant Pot, put the dial in the middle, and hit "manual " then 45 minutes and then "manual" again to start. It will take a while to come to pressure, and then you will do a natural release, so plan on about 2 hours for this.
- Carefully remove can from water. Peel away the foil. The dulce de leche will look brown and lumpy at this point. Pour into a glass jar or a bowl. Stir in the butter, vanilla and salt. Stir and stir until it starts to smooth out.
Anna says
Hello Donna! Yes, I am still here in my little corner baking away :).
Donna L says
I am intrigued! I've not had a cookie like this.
I am glad you are still blogging - I've always enjoyed your posts. I popped in to check whether you were still active and am very pleased to see you are! I miss your newsletters still, but understand why they have fallen by the wayside.
Cheers!