Alfajores cookies

12 servings

75 minutes

Alfajores are delicate Argentine cookies with an airy texture made from cornstarch and butter. This dessert has Spanish roots but has acquired its unique character in Latin America. The cookies have a soft and crumbly structure, and their flavor is enhanced with lemon zest and vanilla. A special sweetness comes from the dulce de leche filling that connects two cookies into a refined 'sandwich.' The finishing touch is coconut flakes, adding a light exotic note. Alfajores pair perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea and are a true symbol of Argentine cuisine, cherished in festive and everyday moments.

Energy value per serving

• Calories: 458.6
• Proteins: 5.4g
• Fats: 21.3g
• Carbohydrates: 63.8g

Ingredients

• Cornstarch: 300 g
• Wheat flour: 200 g
• Baking powder: 2 tsp
• Butter: 170 g
• Sugar: 150 g
• Egg yolk: 3 pc
• Cognac: 1 tbsp
• Vanilla pod: 1 pc
• Lemon zest: 10 g
• Boiled condensed milk: 350 g
• Coconut flakes: 100 g
• Milk: 3 tbsp

Cooking steps

1. Mix flour, corn starch, and baking powder in a bowl.

   Required ingredients:

   • Wheat flour: 200 g
   • Cornstarch: 300 g
   • Baking powder: 2 teaspoons

2. In a deep bowl, beat room temperature butter with sugar until more or less homogeneous, adding the yolks one by one while continuing to beat (this can be done with a mixer, but a regular fork works well too). Add the cognac.

   Required ingredients:

   • Butter: 170 g
   • Sugar: 150 g
   • Egg yolk: 3 pieces
   • Cognac: 1 tablespoon

3. Mix the flour with the prepared liquid mass, add lemon zest, vanilla, and mix well. At this stage, the dough will be stubbornly crumbling, and you will need to add milk. Knead until a homogeneous mass is obtained.

   Required ingredients:

   • Wheat flour: 200 g
   • Lemon zest: 10 g
   • Vanilla pod: 1 piece
   • Milk: 3 tablespoons

4. Roll the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Use a cookie cutter (classic maysenitas are usually round, but you can use any shape you like, for example, a round cutter with a diameter of 4 cm) to cut circles from the dough.

5. Place the circles on a baking sheet (on parchment paper) (not too close to each other, as they will rise a bit), bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes (the cookies should remain pale, not brown). Then let the cookies cool slightly and you can start assembling.

6. Spread about 10 grams of boiled condensed milk on the flat side of the cookie (for a 4 cm diameter form, but it's a matter of taste; the more condensed milk, the tastier), cover with another cookie and press lightly.

   Required ingredients:

   • Boiled condensed milk: 350 g

7. Coat the sides of the resulting 'sandwich' with condensed milk and roll in coconut flakes.

   Required ingredients:

   • Boiled condensed milk: 350 g
   • Coconut flakes: 100 g