Argentinian Alfajores are tender, buttery, sandwich cookies that have luscious dulce de leche caramel inside and a rim of chopped coconut and toasted pine nuts along the sandwich line. They’re melt-in-your-mouth delicious and perfect with a cup of coffee.
10 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of ¼ large lemon
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 large whole egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon spiced rum
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Dulce de leche
Chopped unsweetened shredded coconut and toasted pine nuts, for garnish
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until very creamy, about 4 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, and cream the mixture for another minute.
Add the egg yolks and the whole egg. Continue to mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
Pour in the rum, vanilla, and the lemon zest. Mix well.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and cornstarch.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed just until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. The dough should be soft and silky, but not sticky.
Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.
Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest or 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat mat. Set aside.
Turn out the dough onto a surface that is lightly dusted with powdered sugar.
Use a rolling pin, dusted with powder sugar to roll the dough to about ¼-inch thick.
With a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut circles and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Gather up the scraps and reroll and cut out additional circles and place them on the baking sheets.
Place the baking sheets in the freezer for 15 minutes before baking.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies feel firm, but do not have any color on them.
Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool.
In a medium bowl, stir the dulce de leche to loosen it up.
On a shallow, small dish, pour the finely chopped coconut.
Spread about 2-teaspoons of dulce de leche onto one round, flat side up.
Top with the flat side of another cookie.
Use the offset spatula to smooth the dulce de leche around the sides of the cookie.
Roll the cookie sides in the chopped coconut and pine nuts and place the cookie onto a tray or baking sheet.
If you want crunchy cookies, serve them immediately or for a more traditional, softer cookie, allow them to sit for a few hours to allow some of the moisture from the dulce de leche to seep into the cookies.
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week (but they won’t last that long.)
Keywords: Argentinian Alfajores, South American cookies, dulce de leche, shortbread cookies, sandwich cookies, holiday cookies, holiday cookie recipes