Alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies)

December 4, 2017 by Caroline's Cooking

Crumbly, tender cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche - alfajores are the kind of cookies that almost anyone will be tempted by. Welcome to your next cookie plate must-have.

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stack of alfajores with one resting on side

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While I don't have a particularly sweet tooth, I have always had a bit of a thing for caramel. There's something about the smooth, sweet, slightly creamy texture that's just hard to resist.

I have always loved dulce de leche and after originally thinking about something else I missed, I came across these alfajores that I then felt I had to try. And I am so glad I did, they're so good.

Alfajores - dulce de leche sandwich cookies on side from overhead

I remember loving another little dulce de leche treat in Mexico years ago which I soon forgot the name of but always longed to see again. It was basically two pieces of wafer stuck together with dulce de leche and I eventually rediscovered they were called obleas.

However in hunting the name down, I came across alfajores which are kind of the cookie version of the same thing. How could I possibly resist?

What is dulce de leche made of?

Dulce de leche is traditionally milk and sugar cooked down together for many hours until it makes a thick caramel. These days, you may find it made from sweetened condensed milk to be a bit quicker, or at least more hands-off (as I show in my banoffee pie recipe).

Alfajores - dulce de leche sandwich cookies - sitting in a stack on a plate

Where are alfajores from?

Alfajores are often considered Argentinian, but other countries across South America lay claim to them as well. The dulce de leche used as the filling is certainly something found across Latin America, and the cookie dough is a relatively simple variation on sugar cookies.

The origins of alfajores are actually Moorish, and so they reached Latin American via Spain many centuries ago.

Interestingly, we saw alfajores pretty often in cafes in Israel this summer, in between the more traditional Israeli cookies. I assume this is due to the Moorish roots of these cookies which have stretched around the Mediterranean region. It also reminded me I really needed to get round to making these myself.

making cookie dough, cutting circles of dough then on baking sheet

The cookie base

The cookie here is a relatively plain sugar cookie, less sweet than some but they don't need to be too sweet given the filling. They are a bit like shortbread in that they are typically made partly with flour and partly corn starch to give a meltingly smooth texture.

There are a few variations in what goes in there, some include rum or lemon, but I've gone for relatively plain, primarily a blend of this recipe and this one. After creaming together the butter and sugar, blend in the egg yolk then mix in everything else. Bake them until they are just about turning brown then once cool, sandwich together pairs with dulce de leche.

The dulce de leche in mine here is relatively pale as I made it myself (SO good, if you can spend the time) but ready made will work just as well.

Should alfajores have a coating on the outside?

In some places you'll find alfajores dipped in coconut so that it sticks to the sides of the dulce de leche filling. Yet another variation is to dip them in chocolate. Feel free to play around, but personally I think they are perfect just as they are here.

Alfajores are a classic for many in South America, particularly Argentina, and I can understand why they are so well loved. In fact my only question is why they are not better known elsewhere. Crumbly cookies joined with gooey, delicious caramel is such a wonderful combination, and one you should try soon.

Alfajores - dulce de leche sandwich cookies resting against each other showing filling inside

Try these other cookies from around the world:

Persian walnut cookies (nan e-gerdui)
Brunkager (Danish spiced Christmas cookies)
Anzac biscuits (Australian eggless biscuits/cookies with oat and coconut)
German ginger cookies (ingwerplätzchen)
Melomakarona (Greek honey cookies)
Plus get more ideas in the Holiday recipes and snack recipes archives.

Tools to make these cookies

I'd recommend using a Silicone Baking Mat on top of a Half Baking Sheet to make these. I also use these Round Cookie Cutters.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.

Alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies) stacked on end

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies)

A delicious combination of crumbly sugar cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche.

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Total Time27

Course: Snack

Cuisine: South American

Servings: small

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Caroline's Cooking

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Ingredients

4 oz unsalted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 tablespoon all purpose flour (10tbsp = ½ cup plus 2tbsp)
10 tablespoon cornstarch cornflour (10tbsp = ½ cup plus 2tbsp)
5 tablespoon dulce de leche approx

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cream together the sugar and butter in a food processor/stand mixer or with a hand mixer. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and blend in. Add the flour and cornstarch, mix and bring together into a ball. Wrap in cling wrap/film and chill for 30 minutes.
Part way through cooling, preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
Once the dough has cooled, roll out the dough relatively thinly (approx ¼in/2-3mm) and cut small circles and place on a lined cookie sheet/baking sheet/tray. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake the cookies for approx 1-12 minutes until they are just starting to brown very slightly. They should still be very pale. Leave to cool a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
When the cookies are cool, put a small spoonful of dulce de leche on one cookie and press another on top. Make sure you press them together holding the middle of the cookie so the cookies don't break. If needed, twist them slightly to spread out the dulce de leche. While I didn't here, you can roll the outside in coconut if you like, or lightly dust with confectioner's/icing sugar.

Notes

Note the number of cookies is based on the small cookie size - you can use slightly bigger but recommend not much above 3in/7.5cm as larger cookies will break more.