Alfajores
Alfajores are flat disks of rich buttery shortbread sandwiched together with a dollop of dulce de leche or ‘milk jam’.
They can be traced back to the Moorish occupation of Andalusia, Spain and the great culinary traditions of the Mediterranean Basin.
These sweet sandwich cookies are simple to make and simply delicious. How you finish them is up to you!
Ingredients (Serves 24)
- 200g plain flour
- 200g soft butter
- 40g icing sugar
- 300g cornflour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 jar Dulce de Leche
- Desiccated coconut or melted chocolate (if desired)
Cream the butter and icing sugar together until fluffy.
Sift the corn flour, flour bicarb and baking powder, and combine with the butter and sugar using a large wooden spoon or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer. Add one yolk at a time then the vanilla, and mix until the dough starts coming together into a ball (don’t over-mix).
Knead briefly until well mixed, wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Place dough on a floured surface, dust it with flour and carefully roll the dough to no more than 5mm.
Using a 5cm round cookie cutter, cut out 24 cookies (re-roll as needed), and place the circles on the prepared sheet, leaving about 1 centimeter of space between the cookies.
Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are just starting to color around the edges.
Leave the cookies to cool.
Simply sandwich with a dollop of dulce de leche and then dip into melted chocolate or desiccated coconut or dust with icing sugar.