Alfajores consist of two sweet biscuits sandwiched together with dulce de leche (or jam), and they are sprinkled with powdered sugar.
It’s a traditional cookie found in some regions in Spain and in countries of Latin America. I first made alfajores many years ago when my neighborhood had a little gourmet dinner group that met once a month. One of the gals in our group was Peruvian, and she suggested I bake these for her dinner party. Everyone loved them!
Picture serving steak with chimichurri sauce, empanadas, your favorite malbec or tequila and alfajores for dessert. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Ingredients needed:
- salted butter
- granulated white sugar
- egg yolks
- brandy or cognac
- vanilla extract
- lemon zest
- all purpose flour
- cornstarch
- baking soda, baking powder and salt
- grated coconut
- dulce de leche
- powdered sugar
How do you make Alfajores?
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Tips for making the best alfajores:
- Make sure that your room temperature butter is pretty soft. If it’s too firm, the cookie dough will tend to be more crumbly.
- Don’t be afraid to use the brandy! It does NOT give a liquor taste to these cookies. It works well with the lemon and vanilla, and I think it adds an element of flavor that wouldn’t be there if you left it out. If you have to leave it out, be sure to add 2 tablespoons of milk in its place.
- Be sure to use ‘grated’ coconut and not shredded coconut. I am able to find it in a bulk bin at Whole Foods. If you cannot find it, go ahead and whir your shredded coconut in the food processor to create much smaller pieces.
- Rounds are the typical shape used for these cookies. Try using different shaped round cutters. I made some 2-inch and then made some much smaller ones too.
- Take the time to make homemade dulce de leche– it’s so easy to do and you’ll be happy you did!
The first time I baked these, I brought them to a dinner party, and they were served with Lucuma ice cream that they hostess had made. Lucuma is a fruit that is native to Peru and it is rarely seen in the United States. Since the fruit cannot be brought to the US on the airplane, our hostess brought back Lucuma powder to make the ice cream. In Peru, Lucuma ice cream is more popular than chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream. I thought it was delicious. If I ever get myself to Peru, I’d love to try the real thing.
The alfajores were a big hit at the party. They were a perfect garnish for ice cream, and the few that were left over were gone before the end of the night.
If you’re up for trying something new, try baking alfajores. You’ll be glad you did because they really are so delicious. Enjoy!
Note: If you don’t like coconut, you can always leave it out. However, I’m one who doesn’t always like coconut but love it in these cookies. It doesn’t take on an overwhelming flavor at all.
Alfajores
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup grated coconut
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add the egg yolks and mix. Add the brandy, vanilla and lemon zest; mix well and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and work it together with your hands until all is combined and the dough is soft. Do not add any extra flour. You may wish to add a few drops of milk if the dough appears crumbly. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working with half of the dough at a time (keep the other half refrigerated) on a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of ¼-inch. Cut into 2-inch rounds and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat rolling and cutting with the 2nd half of the chilled dough. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. The cookies should be dry but not brown. Transfer to racks and cool.
- When the cookies are completely cool, match them up into pairs of like-sizes. Turn one cookie over and spread a dollop of dulce de leche onto the flat part of the cookie. Place its partner on top (flat side down) and gently press so that the caramel comes to the edges. Roll the edges in coconut and place them on a rack to set. Continue with the rest of the cookie pairs.
- When ready to serve, sift a light layer of powdered sugar over the tops of the cookies and place them on a platter.
Notes
- Make sure that your room temperature butter is pretty soft. If it's too firm, the cookie dough will tend to be more crumbly.
- Don't be afraid to use the brandy! It does NOT give a liquor taste to these cookies. It works well with the lemon and vanilla, and I think it adds an element of flavor that wouldn't be there if you left it out. If you have to leave it out, be sure to add 2 tablespoons of milk in its place.
- Be sure to use 'grated' coconut and not shredded coconut. I am able to find it in a bulk bin at Whole Foods. If you cannot find it, go ahead and whir your shredded coconut in the food processor to create much smaller pieces.
- Rounds are the typical shape used for these cookies. Try using different shaped round cutters. I made some 2-inch and then made some much smaller ones too.
- Take the time to make homemade dulce de leche- it's so easy to do and you'll be happy you did! Instructions HERE.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello!
Thank you for such a great recipe of cookies I grew up eating in Honduras!!
The dough turned perfect!! and the cookies are flawless! I used Gran Marnier as it was what I had at hand and it work great.
this recipe goes permanently into my recipe book!
cheers!
Belkis
It’s the second time I make this, my fiancé is peruvian and I really wanted to surprise him , he was amazed by my alfajores !!!!! Everyone who tried them said they taste really good and Even asked me for more ;)) thank you for u recipe
My husband is Peruvian, so I’m a big fan of these. In my experience, most restaurants don’t use alcohol in them. For anyone who doesn’t want to use brandy (or Peruvian Pisco), but doesn’t want to sacrifice the flavor, my mother-in-law said to sub the lemon zest for anise seeds. That is always how I’ve had them!
These sweets are very common in Chile, Peru & maybe some other countries
in Latin America. In the old days in Chile we used to boil the can of condensed milk for 1.5 to 2 hrs., in a pot with enough water, & making sure the water was always covering the can. For the last 20 years or so they are available in the supermarket , made by many companies. In California you can find it in almost every supermarket as well. I like to buy my can of “dulce de leche ” from Nestle, already on the shelves because it has the right color & consistency. I found other brands, like the Mexican too runny. I made the alfajores once, many years back. Thank you for including such array of foods & going international as well….
I lived in South America for a while and ate these alot. They also serve them covered in Chocolate!! So good!
I just made these (following the recipe to a T) and they’re fantastic. Everyone in the house adores them. Thank you!!!!
Do you have any hints for the cookie dough and rolling these out? My dough was super crumbly as well and I had a hard time keeping it all together, even after the time in the fridge.
My sister just sent me this recipe, and I’m so stoked to go home and make them tonight 🙂
Hi Recipegirl! You found my post about your alfajores, so nice of you to leave a comment! I forgot to mention, I actually did the dulce de leche in a double boiler. And it was totally my fault that I burned it, nothing to do with the method. The cookie part was confusing though, since I followed the recipe exactly and my dough was super crumbly. But yeah they still were tasty and everyone loved them! Thanks for the recipe!
My dough is chilling, but I can’t keep my hands off the homemade dulce de leche. I was always reluctant to try it because the thought of boiling an unopened can scared me, but this method was easy as, well, pie, and it’s delicious!
I can’t wait to bake and assemble!