Mini Alfajores Recipes

ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES)

Steps:

• Mix flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl. Place butter in a separate bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft and fluffy. Add white sugar and vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture in 3 stages; mix until just blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log. Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough logs into 1/4-inch cookies and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to turn golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
• Use a knife to apply a generous amount of dulce de leche on one cookie. Sandwich another cookie on top and place on a serving tray. Repeat with remaining cookies and dulce de leche. Lightly dust finished cookies with confectioners' sugar.

MINI ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheet).
• In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and flour. With electric mixer on low speed, beat in butter and egg until soft dough forms.
• On floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter; place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Re-roll remaining dough and cut until most of dough is used.
• Bake cookies 5 to 7 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• On bottoms of half of the cookies, spread 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons dulce de leche. Place remaining cookies, bottom side down, over dulce de leche to form sandwich cookies. Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. If desired, place cookies in decorative bags to give as gifts.

ALFAJORES ARGENTINEAN STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, allowing each yolk to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla rum, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest with the last egg. Gently fold in the flour mixture with a spoon, making a crumbly dough. When the dough becomes cohesive enough, press it together into a ball with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough, using as little flour as possible, about 1/4 inch thick. The dough will have an unusual consistency. Cut with a small round cookie cutter. Continue pressing the dough together, rolling it out, and cutting until you have used it all. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies immediately to cool on a wire rack.
• Spread the underside of a cooled cookie with a teaspoon of dulce de leche, then sandwich together with another cookie until the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in the shredded coconut.

ALFAJORES (DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH CRèME COOKIES)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• In large bowl, stir cookie mix, 1/2 cup of the coconut, the pecans, butter and egg until stiff dough forms.
• On floured surface, roll half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining half of dough.
• Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.
• To make each sandwich cookie, spread about 2 teaspoons dulce de leche on bottom of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, bottom side down; gently press cookies together so some of filling seeps out around edges. Roll edges in remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Place cookies on cooling rack.
• Sprinkle tops of sandwich cookies with powdered sugar. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container.

ALFAJORES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 30 seconds until creamy.
• Blend in the egg yolks, one at a time. Mix in the vanilla extract. With the mixer set on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined and the dough starts to come together.
• Shape the dough into a ball, cover the ball with plastic wrap, then refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the dough is easy enough to work with.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll half the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to about ⅓-inch thickness.
• Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Then, using a thin metal spatula or tall knife such as a Santoku knife, slide along the bottom of the cutout cookie and transfer cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Bake in the oven for 10 to 11 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.
• Cool the cookies completely, then spread a layer of Dulce de Leche over the bottom side of one cookie, then sandwich to the bottom side of another cookie.
• Roll in fine coconut, then serve and enjoy!