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Impossibly tender cornstarch cookies sandwiching thick dulce de leche, their edges rolled in coconut. These South American favorites dissolve on your tongue in a way that defies what you think a cookie can be.
The alfajor arrived in South America with Spanish colonizers, but it was transformed utterly in its new home. What began as a medieval Moorish confection of almonds and honey became something entirely different in the hands of Argentine and Uruguayan bakers: a delicate cornstarch cookie embracing caramelized milk. The European original is unrecognizable in its descendant. This is how the best culinary traditions work.
The secret to a proper alfajor lives in the cornstarch. Two parts cornstarch to one part flour creates a cookie so tender it threatens to dissolve before you can take a second bite. This is intentional. The texture should be barely there, a whisper of structure around the bold sweetness of dulce de leche. If you've only encountered these as dry, crumbly disappointments from a supermarket shelf, you haven't had a real alfajor.
I've watched home bakers overthink these cookies. They add flour because the dough seems too soft. They bake longer because the cookies don't brown. They fill sparingly because the dulce de leche seems excessive. Every one of these instincts is wrong. Trust the recipe. Trust the strangeness of it. The soft dough, the pale cookies, the generous filling: these are features, not flaws.
Make these for a holiday cookie exchange and watch them disappear first. Make them as a gift for someone who thinks they've tried every cookie. Make them because American baking has always been enriched by what we've adopted and adapted from everywhere else.
Quantity
1 cup (2 sticks)
Quantity
3/4 cup
Quantity
3
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
finely grated
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
2 cups
Quantity
1 cup
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted butter, softened | 1 cup (2 sticks) |
| powdered sugar, plus more for dusting | 3/4 cup |
| large egg yolks | 3 |
| pure vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon |
| lemon zestfinely grated | 1 teaspoon |
| pisco, brandy, or rum (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
| cornstarch | 2 cups |
| all-purpose flour | 1 cup |
| baking powder | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1/4 teaspoon |
| dulce de leche | 1 1/2 cups |
| unsweetened finely shredded coconut | 1 1/2 cups |
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating until thoroughly combined and light, another 2 minutes. The mixture should look almost white, with no visible butter streaks.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl. Mix in the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and pisco if using. The batter may look slightly curdled. This is fine. It will come together when you add the dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt. The cornstarch is the soul of an alfajor. It creates that impossibly tender, melt-on-your-tongue texture that distinguishes these from ordinary butter cookies. Don't substitute.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until a soft dough forms, about 30 seconds after the last addition. The dough will be tender and slightly tacky. Resist the urge to add more flour. Overworking or drying out this dough destroys the texture you're after.
Divide the dough in half and flatten each portion into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to roll. The dough can chill overnight if you're planning ahead.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and preheat to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This is a gentle baking temperature. Alfajores should not brown. You want them pale, blonde, barely kissed by heat.
Working with one disk at a time (keep the other refrigerated), roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to about 1/4 inch thickness. If it cracks at the edges, let it warm for 2 minutes and try again. Cut rounds using a 2-inch cookie cutter, placing them 1 inch apart on your prepared sheets. Gather scraps gently, press together without kneading, chill briefly, and reroll once.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The cookies are done when they look dry on top and feel barely firm to the touch. They will not brown, and they should not brown. If you see color developing, your oven runs hot. Pull them immediately. They'll continue to set as they cool.
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They are fragile when warm, almost impossibly so. Handle them like the delicate things they are. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes, before filling. Repeat with remaining dough.
Turn half the cookies flat-side up. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of dulce de leche onto each, then press a second cookie on top, flat-side down. Apply gentle pressure until the dulce de leche just reaches the edges. The filling should be visible, a caramel ring peeking out from between the cookies.
Spread the coconut on a shallow plate. Roll the exposed dulce de leche edge of each sandwich cookie through the coconut, pressing gently to adhere. The coconut should coat only the filling, creating a decorative border. This isn't just pretty. The texture contrast, soft cookie and chewy filling against the slight resistance of coconut, is part of the experience.
Arrange the filled alfajores on a serving platter and let them rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. This resting period allows the dulce de leche to soften the interior of the cookies slightly, creating that signature tender, almost cakey texture throughout. Dust with additional powdered sugar if desired.
1 serving (about 35g)
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