Description
Delight in the classic Peruvian Alfajores—delicate vanilla shortbread cookies filled with smooth, homemade Manjar Blanco, a luscious dulce de leche. These tender cookies boast a melt-in-your-mouth texture and are dusted with powdered sugar, making them a perfect treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Manjar Blanco
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- Pinch kosher salt
Vanilla Shortbread Cookie
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch, sifted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste (optional)
- 1 large egg yolk (optional)
Assembly
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Prepare the Manjar Blanco: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Place the sweetened condensed milk in a small baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Set this dish inside a larger baking pan and pour water halfway up the sides to create a water bath. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, topping off the water at 45 minutes if needed. Once done, cool for 15 minutes, then remove foil and cinnamon stick. Transfer to a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate if making ahead.
- Make the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, powdered sugar, and salt. In a stand mixer or bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat softened butter with vanilla extract until smooth. Add the egg yolk and mix just until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix slowly until dough forms, about 1 minute. Shape the dough into a ball, flatten into a 2-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Roll and Cut Cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). On parchment paper, roll out the chilled dough between two parchment sheets to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to stamp out cookies closely. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart and chill for 10 minutes. Repeat until all dough is used, rerolling twice.
- Score and Bake: Lightly score the tops of each cookie with the tines of a fork. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until firm but without any color on the edges. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet to room temperature.
- Assemble the Alfajores: Once cooled, flip half the cookies. Fill a piping bag with the Manjar Blanco and pipe a generous dollop onto each flipped cookie. Alternatively, spoon on the filling gently and smooth with a butter knife. Top with remaining cookies, pressing lightly. Roll the edges of the filled alfajores in sifted powdered sugar.
- Storage: Store assembled alfajores in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days. The Manjar Blanco can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated.
Notes
- Chilling the dough for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days) helps achieve a tender, even texture.
- Store-bought dulce de leche can be used; whisk well to smooth lumps before assembling.
- Use different cookie cutter sizes for mini or larger alfajores; 1 1/2-inch for mini, 3-inch for standard size.
- Manjar Blanco thickens and firms when cold; temper it by bringing to room temperature or immersing sealed container in warm water.
- Use an offset spatula for transferring cookies to avoid breakage.
- Best stored airtight at room temperature to keep cookies tender and filling creamy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (about 10g)
- Calories: 386 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 19.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.1 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
