Alfajores

Cookies may not be the first thing you associate with South American food, but if cookies do come to mind chances are they're Alfajores, shortbread sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche, manjar blanco, canela or honey.  Fillings vary by region, as do the cookies.  And while one day I'll go to South America and eat Alfajores, for now I'll just keep baking them at home.

In the past I've used a variation of this recipe, but I wanted to try out a few others and spent a Sunday morning trying a few other Alfajores recipes.  In the process I nailed down some favorites and figured out what I like and don't like about certain cookies.

Alfajores Recipe Comparisons

First up were "Dulce de Leche Sandwiches" from Good Housekeeping. These cookies had a nice texture and structure (even though I made them too thick), but the flavor of the egg yolks was pretty strong.  If you don't mind the flavor of egg yolks, the recipe is certainly worth a try.

The second recipe was from Chow and calls for fewer egg yolks. The cookies were solid and not too crumbly, and the egg yolk flavor wasn't too strong. I'd definitely make these again, but maybe with a little cinnamon thrown in.

The third was an egg-free recipe from Ingrid Hoffman. Hers were completely different, as they were made with just flour, butter, salt and confectioners' sugar.  My daughter and I took one bite and agreed they were the best! Without the filling the cookies are not too sweet, but with the filling and the extra confectioners' sugar, they are perfect. They look a little messy compared to some other recipes and the dough was kind of rough to work with.  But taste-wise, they were like eating snowball cookies filled with dulce de leche.

Of all the cookies, our favorite was the Ingrid Hoffman recipe. At one point I tried incorporating cornstarch and had good results, but in the interest of using fewer ingredients I've reverted back to the original recipe with just flour.

Instant Pot Dulce de Leche

The quickest way to get dulce de leche is to buy it already made and add things to it to make it taste better. The other thick way is in an Instant Pot.

• Remove label and top from a 14 oz can of condensed milk.
• Wrap the can with foil. Set it on a piece of foil and bring the foil up around the sides, then lay another piece of foil over the top and press down.
• Put the trivet in an Instant Pot. Set the foil covered can on the trivet, then add enough water to the pot so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the can.
• Close pot, set the vent to the middle and set timer for 35 minutes.
• When time is up, you can do a quick or natural release. I like the natural release because it gives the dulce de leche a little more time. Carefully, using tongs and/or a mitt, remove the can and stir.
• Scrape the dulce de leche into a bowl or directly into a jar and stir in about a teaspoon of vanilla. I've also been known to throw in 2 teaspoons of butter, but that is optional. Definitely add a few pinches of salt.
• Let cool and store in the refrigerator.

Quickest Dulce de Leche for Alfajores

If you want a quicker Alfajores filling, you can buy a can of dulce de leche and add flavorings to it. Just scrape the can into a mixing bowl, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Beat until it become thick and spreadable.

• Chocolate Dulce de Leche Bars with Caramel and Sea Salt
• One Bowl Chocolate Dulces
• Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Eclair Cake
• Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cookies
• Six Inch Instant Pot Chocolate Cake

Recipe

Alfajores

Anna

Alfajores dough that comes together quickly in the food processor. These cookies are small, rich and dissolve in your mouth.

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Prep Time 29 minutes mins

Cook Time 13 minutes mins

Cooling Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 42 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Ingredients

 

• 1 cup softened unsalted butter, cut into chunks (230 grams)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar (70 grams)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
• 1 cup Dulce de Leche of your choice (see notes)

Instructions

 

• Put the softened butter, salt and confectioners' sugar in a food processor and process until creamy. Add flour and pulse until mixture holds together.
• Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of parchment or plastic wrap and press into a slab that's about ⅛ of an inch thick. Alternatively, you can empty it into a large (gallon size) freezer bag, close the bag and roll it in the bag.
• Chill the dough for about an hour or until firm. If you used a bag, cut away the bag.
• Using a round cookie cutter (I use a 1 ½ inch size) cut out circles. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 12-13 minutes. Alternatively, you can make 2 inch rounds in which case you might need to bake a few minutes longer.
• To assemble the cookies, put your dulce de leche in a freezer bag or a pastry bag. Snip off the corner and pipe onto bottom of cookies before sandwiching with the rest.

Notes

There are all kinds of recipe for dulce de leche.  I usually make it in the Instant Pot or just buy a can of prepared dulce de leche (it's usually with the condensed milk) and add 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

Keyword alfajores

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