Caramel Alfajores Cookies Recipes

ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES)

Steps:

• Mix flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl. Place butter in a separate bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft and fluffy. Add white sugar and vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture in 3 stages; mix until just blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log. Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough logs into 1/4-inch cookies and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to turn golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
• Use a knife to apply a generous amount of dulce de leche on one cookie. Sandwich another cookie on top and place on a serving tray. Repeat with remaining cookies and dulce de leche. Lightly dust finished cookies with confectioners' sugar.

TRADITIONAL ALFAJORES - CARAMEL SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix briefly.
• Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture, blending with your fingers until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Pisco, and mix with your hands until the dough is homogeneous and smooth (add a little extra Pisco if dough is too crumbly to form a ball).
• Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough to 3/8" thickness, and cut into 2 inch circles.
• Place cookies on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• .Bake cookies for 10-15 minutes, until they are barely golden brown. Let cookies cook 5 minutes, then transfer to rack to cool completely.
• To fill the cookies, spread one cookie with dulce de leche and top with second cookie. Roll the edges in the coconut.
• Store in an airtight container.

ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Make the dulce de leche: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then carefully lower condensed milk cans on their sides into the water. Simmer for 3 hours 15 minutes, refilling with hot water as needed to keep cans submerged. Never let the water boil away, or the cans could burst. Using tongs, transfer cans to a rack to let cool completely before opening.
• In a small bowl, combine brandy, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks and beat to combine, then add brandy mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
• Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from plastic wrap and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place on prepared sheet pans, then bake until edges start to turn golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer each pan to a rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, combine dulce de leche with remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and a large pinch of salt. Spoon the mixture into a plastic zipper bag and cut a corner off. (Or you could scoop it into a pastry bag if you prefer, or just use a spoon.)
• Flip half of the cookies upside down and pipe a thick layer of dulce de leche onto bottoms (or use a spoon to spoon the mixture on). Top with remaining cookies to sandwich the dulce de leche in the middle. Roll sides in coconut. Eat right away, or store in the refrigerator until serving.

ALFAJORES ARGENTINEAN STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, allowing each yolk to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla rum, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest with the last egg. Gently fold in the flour mixture with a spoon, making a crumbly dough. When the dough becomes cohesive enough, press it together into a ball with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough, using as little flour as possible, about 1/4 inch thick. The dough will have an unusual consistency. Cut with a small round cookie cutter. Continue pressing the dough together, rolling it out, and cutting until you have used it all. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies immediately to cool on a wire rack.
• Spread the underside of a cooled cookie with a teaspoon of dulce de leche, then sandwich together with another cookie until the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in the shredded coconut.

CARAMEL ALFAJORES COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Process Easy Homemade Pie Dough and 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp.) sugar in food processor 30 sec. or until mixture is well blended and starts to form ball. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into ball; flatten into disk.
• Roll out 1 disk on lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 16 rounds with 2-inch cookie cutter, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place, 1 inch apart, on parchment-covered baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake 13 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec. to 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted and sauce is well blended, stirring after 30 sec. Stir in cinnamon.
• Spread caramel sauce onto flat sides of 16 cookies, adding about 1 tsp. caramel sauce to each cookie. Cover with remaining cookies, flat sides down, to make 16 sandwiches. Place on wire rack; sprinkle with remaining sugar.

CHOCOLATE ALFAJORES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Shape dough into a disk; wrap. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, 2 hours., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets., Bake just until set, 5-7 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Spread dulce de leche on bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Press edges into coconut. Refrigerate in airtight containers.