Description
Alfajores are delicate, buttery Spanish sandwich cookies filled with creamy dulce de leche. This classic recipe features soft shortbread cookies rolled thin, baked until lightly golden, and then sandwiched with a luscious caramel-like dulce de leche filling. Optionally, the cookie edges can be rolled in desiccated coconut or the tops dusted with powdered sugar for an elegant finish. Perfect for dessert lovers seeking a sweet treat with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and rich flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling and Garnish
- 1 ½ cups dulce de leche
- Desiccated coconut for rolling (optional)
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large mixing bowl using an electric or stand mixer, beat softened butter alone until creamy. Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and salt. Continue beating until combined and creamy.
- Add Flour: Gradually add the all-purpose flour in about four parts, stirring after each addition until fully incorporated into the dough.
- Chill Dough: Divide the dough into two equal halves and shape each into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 5 days to firm up.
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheet: Once chilled, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll Dough: Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll out one dough disk at a time to ⅛-inch thickness.
- Cut Cookies: Use a round cookie cutter about 1 ¾ to 2 inches in diameter to cut circles. Place cookies at least 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the edges just begin turning light golden brown.
- Cool Completely: Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before handling. Repeat rolling and baking with remaining dough, using scraps to maximize cookie yield.
- Assemble Alfajores: Spread 1 ½ teaspoons of dulce de leche on the bottom side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie.
- Add Finishing Touch (Optional): Roll the edges of each sandwich cookie in desiccated coconut to coat the dulce de leche or dust the tops lightly with powdered sugar according to preference.
Notes
- These sandwich cookies are buttery and simple with a rich caramel dulce de leche center.
- You can customize by rolling the cookie edges in coconut, dusting with powdered sugar, or drizzling melted chocolate.
- For best results, make homemade dulce de leche several hours or a day before assembling the cookies.
- Do not place cookie dough on a hot baking sheet to prevent premature cooking and spreading.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich cookie
- Calories: 87 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 34 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 14 mg
