Alfajores are the addictive biscuits that originate in South America. Sandwiched between dulce de leche they make an unforgettable treat. Nobody said they were calorie friendly!
Here’s a little treat to get your working week started.
Alfajores.
If you’re not familiar with this delightful South American biscuit, all I can say is you’re missing out!
What are alfajores?
The simple answer is – dulce de leche (milk caramel) sandwiched between two shortbread biscuits.
Alfajores are “very easy” to eat, and before you know it you’ll be joining a support group to stop the cravings!
I am warning you!
My introduction to these gorgeous morsels was in Argentina many moons ago. And that’s when my obsession began!
I then discovered they come in a variety of options, including a fully dipped chocolate version. (Sort of like a South American Wagon Wheel).
🥘 Ingredients
- 250 grams unsalted butter, softened and cut into even-sized cubes
- 150 grams of sugar, caster
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 350 grams tapioca flour
- 175 grams plain flour, (all-purpose)
- Dulce de leche
- Nutella spread
- desiccated coconut
The original recipe calls for a combination of cornflour and regular flour.
My version changes things up by using tapioca flour instead.
I’ve stuck to a mostly traditional version today, and I am proud to say I even made my very own dulce de leche. Who knew that a can of condensed milk could transform into such a wonderful concoction?
In the process of making these biscuits, I got a little bored with the dulce de leche (yes…I know!), so I ended up using some Nutella instead. A wise decision indeed!
🔪 Instructions
- Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer and cream until the butter has become lighter in colour and the sugar is completely dissolved (approx. 3-5 mins).
- Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated and finally add your vanilla.
- Sift 300 grams of the tapioca flour and the plain flour and slowly incorporate it into the batter. Allow it to come together to form a smooth dough. If it feels sticky, add a little more of the tapioca flour until you have a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 2 hours.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, preheat your oven to 180 deg C and line a few trays with baking paper. Divide the dough into four even pieces. Roll out one portion between two sheets of baking paper approx. 1/2 cm thick. Using a 5cm cookie cutter, cut out the alfajores, place on a baking tray and cook for 8-10 mins. Allow them to cool completely before using. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- To make the alfajores, carefully spread a generous heaped tbsp of dulce de leche on one biscuit and sandwich with another on top. Roll the sides in desiccated coconut for extra enjoyment and dust with icing sugar.
Tapioca flour gives the shortbread a firm, toothsome texture. These are certainly not your ordinary shortbread!
The dough is a little sticky to handle, but once it rests in the fridge, it rolls out perfectly.
Even though these alfajores two take the better part of a day to make they are absolutely worth it.
Now I have another dilemma on my hands.
What should I do with the leftover Nutella and dulce de leche?
👪 Serving size
The recipe yielded approx. 80 biscuits so when I sandwiched them together I had 40 alfajores in total.
You can easily halve the recipe to make a lesser amount.
📖 Variations
- Go Greek with these traditional kourabiedes – but watch out for all that icing sugar!
- How about classic chocolate and almond cookie recipe? Yep. Got you covered.
- Gluten-free? Dairy-Free? Vegan? Try my homemade Oreo cookies.
📋 Recipe
Alfajores
Ingredients
- 250 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into even-sized cubes
- 150 g sugar, caster
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 350 g tapioca flour
- 175 g plain flour, (all-purpose)
- Dulce de leche
- Nutella spread
- desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Place the butter and sugar in a stand mixer and cream until the butter has become lighter in colour and the sugar is completely dissolved (approx. 3-5 mins).
- Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated and finally add your vanilla.
- Sift 300 grams of the tapioca flour and the plain flour and slowly incorporate it into the batter. Allow it to come together to form a smooth dough. If it feels sticky, add a little more of the tapioca flour until you have a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 2 hours.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, preheat your oven to 180 deg C and line a few trays with baking paper. Divide the dough into four even pieces. Roll out one portion between two sheets of baking paper approx. 1/2 cm thick. Using a 5cm cookie cutter, cut out the alfajores, place on a baking tray and cook for 8-10 mins. Allow them to cool completely before using. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
- To make the alfajores, carefully spread a generous heaped tbsp of dulce de leche on one biscuit and sandwich with another on top. Roll the sides in desiccated coconut for extra enjoyment and dust with icing sugar.
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