These are the best Alfajores recipe you will ever make! True story. You have my dulce de leche loving word. Because I know a lot about these cornstarch filled cookies, and these are the most traditional and perfect of them all. A recipe to treasure forever.
I know alfajores
I'm from Argentina and, as I told in the post about Walnut Alfajores, we are the biggest consumers of these sweets snacks worldwide. So trust me when I say that as far as traditional cornstarch alfajores go, this is the only recipe you'll ever need. Ever!
The original hails from a 90-year old cookbook from Doña Petrona (our own Julia Child) and is still the recipe we all adapt. Sort of like the chocolate chip cookies recipe from Toll House. It's where they all start, isn't it?
So, that said, let's get into the nitty-gritty of this recipe.
What are alfajores?
An alfajor (singular) is a sandwich made of two discs of dough with a filling in between. A sandwich cookie, or a wagon wheel with a different filling, depending on what type of alfajor.
They are very popular in South America, especially Argentina, Perú and Uruguay.
The most traditional ones are two: one made with cornstarch shortbread cookies with coconut on the sides, and the other is made with a vanilla dough and covered with dark chocolate. Both are filled with dulce de leche, of course.
Ingredients
Today we're making our beloved cornstarch alfajores, filled with dulce de leche with the sides rolled in flaked coconut.
The image above shows that the ingredients are simple, everyday staples except for maybe the cognac.
About the liquor: this recipe has a magic flavoring trio that is lemon, vanilla, and cognac (or brandy, or whisky). The synergy that results when combining these three flavors is one for the books. None of them is the star but together they are magic.
Magic flavoring
I specifically want to acknowledge the flavoring in this recipe.
- It has 3 components: lemon zest, vanilla extract, and cognac (or brandy).
Though there is nothing special about them, when you add all three to a recipe - in the right proportions, of course - the result is fantastic! None shine on its own but there is a deep, caramel, fresh flavor that I think it's unmatched.
It's not vanilla, it's not lemon, it's not caramel, it is magic. Maybe that's stretching it a bit? Well, you can be the judge of that. I plan on adding them to most of my simple cakes.
It reminds me of the flavor of red velvet cake. What does it taste like? What is so special about it? It simply has a fabulous flavor. This magic trio reminds me of that.
Easy steps
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add flavorings.
- Add egg.
- Add half of the dry ingredients and mix.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well until you have a soft dough that is neither sticky nor dry (image collage, above).
Dough: it is a simple vanilla dough with cornstarch. It sounds easy and it is. It's all in the right proportions of flour and cornstarch.
Rolling the dough
After refrigerating the dough for a few hours, it's time to roll and cut.
This dough is soft and very easy to manage. So a lightly floured counter and good rolling pin are all you need.
Cookie cutters: I use small round cutters, but you can use other shapes. The dough doesn't change much during baking, so the cookies will mostly keep their shape (image below). Still, I recommend using simple patterns like stars or hearts.
Bake until barely starting to color. These are light-colored cookies.
Fill with as much dulce de leche as you can!
What is dulce de leche?
Dulce de leche is a sweet jam (image below) made with milk, sugar, and baking soda, the latter being accountable for its dark color. It takes a few hours to make and there are as many tips and tricks as there are grandmothers in this country. Each with its own recipe.
We have an abundance of brands and styles, pretty much like peanut butter in the US. So we use it a lot as you might imagine.
The flavor is very sweet, similar to caramel but not quite. It does have a milk undertone, something that caramel lacks, and some might say it’s not as sophisticated, and they might be right. I’m a raving fan so my opinion is biased.
You can easily buy it online. Brands I recommend are Cachafaz and Havanna.
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Filling
The traditional filling was, is and will always be dulce de leche.
But we're talking about simple cornstarch cookies with an indefinite subtle flavoring, so the fillings you can use are many. But please try these as per the recipe below at least once. You will understand why we love them SO much! Like obsessively much.
After you fill the cookies I like to pass the bottom of a teaspoon around the edges (image above, right).
This will even out the dulce de leche that overflowed when you pressed down the second cookie and make it easier for the coconut to adhere. You can skip it of course, but the alfajores will be easier to handle.
Rolling the sides in unsweetened shredded coconut is the way these beauties roll.
Coconut and dulce de leche are a match made in heaven. Truly spectacular! There are a few examples in this blog, such as the dulce de leche fudge truffles or the coconut lemon tart if you want to try out this combination.
But, recipes aside, I am a hard fan of the dulce de leche filling.
The coconut border, on the other hand, is completely optional in my opinion. It pairs fantastically with the rest of the ingredients, but they are amazing without it too. So, don't buy shredded coconut just for this.
I sure do hope you try this recipe for cornstarch alfajores.
It is easy and they are incredibly delicious. I imagine many of you never tried them, so trust me when I say the flavor is amazing and that they will become a favorite fast.
Top tips
- Make-ahead: as with most cookie doughs, it can be made ahead and kept for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer. Always make sure you wrap it well in clingy plastic. Otherwise, the top layer will dry out.
- Keeping: the cookies can be kept in airtight containers for about a week. Fill them several hours ahead of the time you're planning to eat them. Take into account that the dulce de leche transfers moisture to the cornstarch cookies and they will soften after a while. That, in my opinion, is not a bad thing at all!
- Eat them and be extremely happy.
Other recipes you might like:
Walnut Alfajores
Raspberry Jam Tarts
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Easy Oatmeal Walnut Cookies
Citrus Coconut Shortbread
Dulce de Leche Coconut Fudge
Banana Muffin Cake with Dulce de Leche and Cream
Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it.
Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
The best Alfajores Recipe ever
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: about 50 small rounds 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Argentinian
Description
These are the best Alfajores recipe you will ever make! True story.
Filled with dulce de leche, these are the most traditional and perfect of them all. A recipe to treasure forever.
Ingredients
- Scant ¾ cup or 10 tablespoons (150g) unsalted butter, at room tº
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room t°
- 1 egg, at room t°
- 1 tablespoon cognac (or brandy or whiskey)
- 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (250g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- A few drops vanilla extract
- Zest of 1/3 lemon
- 1 cup of Dulce de leche
- Unsweetened shredded coconut, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using a spatula or handheld mixer or a wooden spoon, mix butter and sugar until very creamy.
- Add egg yolks and whole egg and mix well to incorporate.
- Add cognac, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix well.
- Then add the sifted flour, baking powder, and cornstarch gradually, mixing very well until no streaks of dry remain.
- The final dough will be very soft and silky but not sticky.
- Let rest for 10 minutes. If I’m not baking the alfajores immediately I wrap the dough in film and put it in the refrigerator like any sweet dough.
- Preheat oven to 170ºC / 325ºF.
- On a floured suface, roll dough to ½ cm thick (about ¼ inch).
- Using a round cutter, cut circles and place them on a buttered cookie tray or use a Silpat. In my experience they tend to stick when using parchment paper, but then, all papers are different depending on where you live. Thickness and size is totally up to you; I suggest you try different combinations and see which one works best for your taste.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until barely starting to color. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Put a tablespoon of dulce de leche (with a spoon or with a piping bag) and fill one round, flat side up. Press lightly with another round, flat side down forming alfajores.
- With the back of a spoon flatten the sides wiping any dulce de leche that has overflowed. This will leave a path for the coconut to stick.
- Put unsweetened coconut in a small plate and roll sides of alfajores so that you have an even coating. Or leave it plain.
Notes
- Make-ahead: as with most cookie doughs, it can be made ahead and kept for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer. Always make sure you wrap it well in clingy plastic. Otherwise, the top layer will dry out.
- Size and thickness: they can be made as small (2-inch) rounds or up to 4-inch. Play around with size and thickness until you find your favorite.
- Keeping: the cookies can be kept in airtight containers for about a week. Fill them several hours ahead of the time you're planning to eat them. Take into account that the dulce de leche transfers moisture to the cornstarch cookies and they will soften after a while. That, in my opinion, is not a bad thing at all!
- Fillings: you can use jams or ganache or cookie butter spreads or nut butter. But dulce de leche will turn them into the most amazing alfajores ever.
- Eat them and be extremely happy.
Keywords: alfajores, cornstarch alfajores
They are just delicious, loved this recipe
★★★★★
Can I make it without cornstarch?
My dad is from Uruguay and I know that he would love it.
Hi Alexandra,
You can in theory. But this is the cornstarch version of alfajores, so it's the main ingredient. There are other recipes that use shortbread, maybe that would be more suitable if you don't want to use cornstarch.
Can you replace with coconut flour???
★★★★★
Hi Dyana, I never tried it and don't use coconut flour much and don't know how it goes with the cornstarch, which is a main ingredient here. Do you want them gluten-free? I would go for a mix of coconut flour and GF flour blend instead of the all-purpose flour. Hope it helps.
Thank you Paula! I’ll give it a try!
This is THE MOST PERFECT recipe! I just made a batch for my nephew and nieces (with which I plan on surprising them tomorrow) and was absolutely overwhelmed by the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the cookies - so light, so balanced. Fair disclosure: I reduced the sugar quantity by 20%, as I prefer less sweetness in my pastries/desserts, and it really turned out magnificently for my tastes. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Hi Lana, great to hear you loved them! Less sugar brings the cornstarch forward and makes them more melt-in-your-mouth. Great to know. Have a good week.