Alfajores have become a favorite of mine ever since Dolcezza opened up a couple of blocks from my house - sitting there on the counter in a glass dome looking delicious, screaming to be eaten - they're a light, fluffy and decadent cookie with a rich Dulce de Leche sandwiched in between. I can't speak more highly of them. But in the interest of economics I can't buy one every time I grab a coffee. I can barely justify a $5 coffee as it is. I scoured the internet for recipes but nothing consistent came up, other than the use of cornstarch. With a few tweaks here and there I think I've managed to satisfy my craving with a home-baked cookie I'd be proud to exchange at any holiday party, and for someone as bad as baking as I am that is quite the statement. These are very easy to make, but that's made up for in the messy and time consuming assembly process.
- 2x can condensed milk
- 2 cups cornstarch
- 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- zest of half a lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature, diced
- 2 tbsp brandy (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- coconut flakes, finely grated
- chocolate, finely grated
- powdered sugar
Dulce de Leche
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a baking dish pour the two cans of condensed milk, cover tightly with foil. Place baking dish in a water bath, with enough water to reach 2/3 up the side of the dish. Bake for 1 hour, remove and stir, bake for an additional 1.5 hours or until dark golden brown. Add in more water to the bath if necessary. Stir until smooth, set aside and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Cookies
Mix together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a stand-mixer, on medium speed mix together the butter and sugar until creamy, ensuring the sides of the bowl are scraped. Turning down the mixer to a slow speed, mix in the egg yolks, vanilla extract, brandy and lemon zest. Continue mixing until fully incorporated into a dough. Using wet hands split the dough into three or four balls and pat the dough into a tight ball or disc, cover in plastic wrap and place in fridge until chilled. At least one hour.
On a floured work surface roll out the dough, sprinkle a little water into cracks of dough and knead with wet hands if necessary. Using a round pasty cutter (or wine glass) cut out an even numbered of rounds, you should get approximately 30 discs. In batches bake for 12 minutes, the cookies should not be brown on top but they will have a crisp golden color on the bottom. Remove from oven and let chill on a wire baking rack. Using a spatula liberally cover the base of a cookie with the Dulce de Leche and sandwich with another cookie, roll in either the grated coconut or chocolate. Repeat until all the cookies are made. If desired, dust with powdered sugar.