These alfajores are made from two soft, cornstarch cookies that are filled with gooey dulce de leche (a caramel-like spread). They're sweet with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. This is the most traditional and perfect recipe of them all. If you never had alfajores, you're in for a treat.
I know alfajores
Alfajores come in many variations, including different fillings, coatings, and shapes. They are often served with coffee or tea and are a popular snack or dessert.
To my knowledge, the oldest that are relevant to this day are these cornstarch alfajores, which are different from these shortbread-style alfajores.
I'm from Argentina, and, as I told you in the post about walnut alfajores, we are the biggest consumers of these sweet snacks worldwide. The array of different options you can buy here is mind-boggling.
So trust me when I say that this is the only recipe you'll ever need for traditional cornstarch alfajores.
The original recipe hails from a 90-year-old cookbook by Doña Petrona (our own Julia Child) and is still the recipe we all adapt. It's sort of like the chocolate chip cookies recipe from Toll House. It's where they all start, isn't it?
Overall, the combination of delicate crumbly texture, subtle flavor and sweet filling is what makes cornstarch alfajores so delicious and beloved by so many.
What are alfajores?
An alfajor (singular) is a sandwich made of two discs of dough with a filling in between. It is a sandwich cookie. ALL are filled with dulce de leche unless specified in the name, like chocolate mousse alfajores or quince jam alfajores.
Alfajores have a unique combination of textures and flavors. They are delicate yet rich, crumbly yet creamy, and sweet yet balanced.
They are very popular in South America, especially Argentina, Perú, and Uruguay.
The most in-demand are probably chocolate alfajores because, well, they're chocolate-covered. Then there are shortbread alfajores, which are usually small and great for tea time, with a cup of coffee, or as finger food at a celebration.
Ingredient Notes
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Cornstarch: it's essential for that crumbly texture and a main ingredient.
- Baking powder: Make sure it's not expired.
- Cognac: You can also use brandy or whisky. It evaporates during baking and leaves behind a wonderful flavor. If you don't want alcohol, omit it and use more vanilla.
- Dulce de leche: we're using it as a filling, so we need the thicker kind, the one labeled 'repostero', which means pastry or baking. I use and recommend dulce de leche repostero Vacalin.
About the liquor: This recipe features a magic flavor trio of lemon, vanilla, and cognac (or brandy, or whisky). The synergy between these three flavors is one for the books. None of them is the star, but together, they are magic.
Variations & substitutions
- Don't use liquor: though I recommend using it, omit it if you can't use it. Add ½ a teaspoon more vanilla extract.
- Rolling: coconut is the traditional ingredient, but you can roll them in finely ground nuts or leave them plain.
- Fillings: being simple cornstarch cookies with an indefinite flavor, you can use different fillings like nut butter, buttercream, or a light ganache. Still, I highly encourage you to try them with dulce de leche first.
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 they are nothing special, when you add all three to a recipe in the right proportions, the result is fantastic!
None shine on its own but there is a deep, caramel, fresh flavor that I think is 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.
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 flavor trio reminds me of that.
The alfajores dough is a simple vanilla dough with cornstarch. It sounds easy and it is. It's all about the right proportions of flour and cornstarch.
- By hand: I use a large bowl, a whisk, and a spatula. If the butter is soft, mixing everything by hand should be simple.
- Electric mixer: you can use a handheld mixer but make sure you use it at low speed. This is not a dough that needs beating or anything like it. If you use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix at the lowest speed.
The final dough is soft to the touch and neither sticky nor dry. It needs to be refrigerated before rolling.
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 handle. A lightly floured counter and a good rolling pin are all you need.
Cookie cutters: I use a small round cutter, which is the traditional shape of an alfajor. The dough doesn't change much during baking, and the cookies will mostly keep their shape, so you can, technically, use other forms. Still, I recommend using simple patterns.
- Preheated oven: always make sure it's on before you start rolling the dough. If you forgot, place the sheets in the fridge while the oven gets to the desired temperature.
- Preparing the cookie sheets: I use parchment paper or lightly buttered sheets, both work well.
- Leave some space between the rounds, so they can grow during baking.
- These are light-colored, delicate cookies, so bake until barely starting to color. Don't be tempted to bake them longer, as they will be too crisp and won't soften as they should when filled.
What is dulce de leche?
Dulce de leche is a sweet milk jam, a cousin to caramel, 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 commercial brands and styles, pretty much like peanut butter in the US, so we hardly make it at home.
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.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
For fillings, you need to use what we call pastry dulce de leche. It's much thicker than the regular kind. Look for the word Repostero on the label. The best one available online (that we also use here!) is Vacalin Dulce de Leche Repostero. Another good one is Veronica dulce de leche repostero. If you want to buy in bulk a great one is San Ignacio repostero (22 pounds) or Vacalin repostero (22 pounds).
Filling the alfajores
The traditional filling was, is, and will always be dulce de leche.
Piping bag: you can use it with a smooth, plain piping tip for a more even filling, or use a teaspoon and get more of an irregular filling.
- Use a teaspoon or a piping bag for this part. Piping the dulce de leche it will be neater and you probably won't need to smooth out the edges.
- Swipe the bottom of a teaspoon around the edges. This will even out the dulce de leche that overflowed when you pressed down the top cookie and make it easier for the coconut to adhere. You can skip this step, of course, but the alfajores will be easier to handle.
Rolling in coconut
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!
Coconut border: this step, on the other hand, is completely optional. It pairs fantastically with the rest of the ingredients, but alfajores are also amazing without it. So, don't buy shredded coconut just for this.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- 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.
- Storage: The unfilled cookies can be kept in an airtight container for about a week. Fill them several hours ahead of the time you're planning to eat them so they have time to soften a little. Consider that the dulce de leche transfers moisture to the cornstarch cookies, and they will be softer when you bite into them.
- Eat them and be very happy.
I sure do hope you try this recipe for cornstarch alfajores.
It's an easy-to-work-with dough, and they are incredibly yummy. I imagine many of you have never tried them, so trust me when I say the flavor is amazing and that they will become a favorite fast.
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Before you go
If you made this recipe and loved it, you can comment below and leave a five-star ⭐️ review. Also, if you had issues, let me know so we can troubleshoot together.
You can also subscribe to our FREE email series 'Baking the Best' and our regular newsletter. Or follow and save my recipes on Pinterest.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my disclosure policy.
Ingredients
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup + 3 tablepsoons, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon cognac, or brandy or whiskey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 cup pastry dulce de leche, the thick type labeled 'repostero', I use and recommend Vacalin dulce de leche repostero.
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, for rolling (optional)
Instructions
- Mix 11 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl, until very creamy, using a spatula, handheld mixer, or a wooden spoon.
- Add 2 egg yolks and 1 egg and mix well to incorporate.
- Add 1 tablespoon cognac, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon lemon zest. Mix well.
- Add the sifted 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, pinch salt and 2 cups cornstarch gradually, mixing very well until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. The final dough will be very soft and silky but not sticky.
- Pat it into a disc, wrap the dough in plastic wrap or freezer sheets, and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, like any sweet dough. At this point, it can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for a month, always well wrapped to prevent dryness.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°).
- On a floured surface, roll dough to ½ cm thick (about ¼ inch).
- Using a round cookie 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 are totally up to you; I suggest you try different combinations and see which one works best for your taste.
- Gather the scraps, roll them again and cut more alfajores cookies until you use up all the dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until barely starting to color. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Put about 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 the alfajores.
- With the back of a small spoon, wipe any dulce de leche that has overflowed. This will leave a path for the coconut to stick.
- Put ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut on a small plate or bowl and roll the sides of the alfajores until coated. Or leave the sides plain.
- Eat them and be happy.
Dyana says
Can you replace with coconut flour???
Paula Montenegro says
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.
Dyana says
Thank you Paula! I’ll give it a try!
Lana says
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!
Paula Montenegro says
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.
laurel says
HI! I just made this dough and then after everything I realized that NOWHERE in the steps does it say WHEN to add the baking powder. Am I screwed? Should I start over a new batch? When was I supposed to add the baking powder??? PLEASE HELP!
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Laurel, they will turn out a bit more crunchy, but they will be fine. Thanks for the heads-up! It goes with the dry ingredients and I added it.
Aline says
I'm Brazilian and I grew up eating alfajores and miss eating them so much!! I never thought they'd be so straight forward to make!! Now I need to try this!!
Paula Montenegro says
I’m sure you’ll love them Aline!
Angel Morales says
I'm from Argentina..and this is the most love sweet thing in my country.I make it ..and come out very good.
Mary Bostow says
I've always wanted to make this cookie, yours look delicious!
Jo says
Oh my God, those cookies looks aaaamazing! Thank you for sharing this gem with all those tips, very useful.
Sophie says
This is a very new dish for me. I love how beautifully you have explained all the steps in this recipe. Thank you so much.
Debbie says
These alfajores are a must try for me!! Everything about this cookie is calling my name. I adore cookies made with cornstarch and the Dulce de leche filling sounds simply amazing. Then rimmed with coconut..YES!! I can't wait!
Daniela says
I've eaten so many alfajores in Argentina but never made them before and am def going to now! Love all your pics and the recipe sounds delicious :).
Shannon says
I've never heard of these sweet treats before but they look amazing! That dulche de leche filling just looks absolutely divine. I can't wait to try these!
Natalie says
These cookies are adorable. So cute and perfect for Easter. I love that you used cognac here. I bet that ads so much flavor to the cookies. Can't wait to make these for my family.
Amanda says
These really are the best alfajores! The lemon zest, vanilla and cognac gives them such a rich flavor. Love them!
Paige says
OMG my mouth was watering reading about these! I've never heard of them but I've got them on my radar for Easter!
Caroline says
I'm a big fan of both dulce de leche and alfajores as well, and these look woonderful!
Dannii says
These look lovely! I bet my daughter would love making them with me too.
Anita says
We recently had these in a lovely Brazilian restaurant and were swooning over these little treats that we had with our coffee. I'm so happy to find this recipe and will be making these ASAP. 🙂
Sally @ Savory With Soul says
I love trying new international style recipes, and these look so delicious (especially the filling!) ... Gonna have to dust off my cookie sheets and get baking - you have me inspired!
Miriam says
Awesome recipe and so fun to make!
Pelusa says
Hola
Están deliciosos.
Juliana says
I love alfajores! Such a perfect and sweet treat