Easy Homemade Alfajores Recipes

ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Combine condensed milk and butter for filling in a pot over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it coats the back of a spoon and becomes caramelized, about 2 hours.
• While the filling is simmering, mix flour, butter, powdered sugar, pisco, baking powder, and salt for cookies in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until a dough forms.
• Shape dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch or 3/16 inch. Use a small cookie cutter to cut approximately 80 circles. Transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheets; prick each cookie once with the tines of a fork.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until edges are just golden, about 12 minutes, switching racks halfway through; do not let them brown. Remove oven and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat to cook remaining cookies.
• When the filling has finished simmering, let it cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Spread filling over one side of 2 cookies, and press together like sandwiches. Roll in powdered sugar to coat. Repeat to fill and coat remaining cookies.

EASY HOMEMADE ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle mix the butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined.
• Add in the vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Mix until evenly incorporated, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Add flour. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the flour until combined.
• Divide the dough in half and roll into logs 2- inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Remove one of the dough logs from the refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4- inch rounds.
• Place on the prepared baking sheet 1- inch apart (the cookies don't spread while baking). Bake for 8 - 10 minutes until the edges are slightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Allow the cookies to cool completely.
• Spread or pipe 1 teaspoon of dulce de leche onto the bottom side of half the cookies. Press the other half of the cookies on top of each, forming sandwiches.

CHILEAN ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Place the entire, unopened can of condensed milk in a large saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until milk inside has caramelized, about 2 hours.
• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you make the cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in egg, then mix in flour until well combined.
• Drop batter by small teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip your finger into flour, and pat each cookie into a very thin, little circle (about the size of a quarter).
• Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to brown around the edges and no longer doughy in the centers, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Sandwich cooled cookies together with the caramelized condensed milk.

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.

ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Combine the flour, corn flour and baking powder together in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Using a food mixer or an electric whisk in another bowl beat the butter together with the sugar and lemon zest until very pale. Add the egg yolks followed by the Cognac and vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients until you have smooth dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 1 hour. You can make the biscuit dough the day before and leave in the fridge.
• Line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin then cut out 60 biscuits with a 5cm round or fluted cutter. Put the biscuits back in the fridge for 20 mins to firm up.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the biscuits for 8 mins until just set. You want the biscuits to stay pale with a crumbly texture. Leave to cool completely before sandwiching two biscuits together with a spoonful of dulce de leche. Once all the biscuits are sandwiched together roll in desiccated coconut.