The alfajores are one of the most popular sweets in Argentine cuisine, although they are not exclusive to the country of tango, barbecues and gauchos. They are also very common in other Latin American countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Mexico or the Dominican Republic.
They are very simple to make and are to die for, at least in their most classic and traditional form: filled with dulce de leche and rolled in desiccated coconut. From here there are variations that include dipping the alfajor in a thin layer of chocolate or adding cocoa to the wafer dough, among others.
If you dare to fill them as is customary, with dulce de leche, you can buy it or you can also make it at home. Below I tell you how —you'll be surprised how easy it is.
Le Creuset pizza stone and Caractère Revol porcelain plate
Ingredients (for 12 units)
- 75 g butter (at room temperature)
- 75 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 egg yolks
- 200 g fine corn flour (type Maizena)
- 50 g wheat flour
- 5 g baking powder
- Salt
- Dulce de leche (for filling)
- Desiccated coconut (for decoration)
Le Creuset pizza stone, Pallarès knife, No.w Revol bowl, No.w Revol cup, Bérard flour spoon, Caractère Revol porcelain plate
Method
- In a deep bowl mix the butter with the icing sugar, stirring until combined. Add the vanilla extract and the egg yolks (save the whites for another recipe) and stir.
- Next add the baking powder, a pinch of salt and the two types of flour. Stir as much as you can until combined and finish mixing well using your hands.
- Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, using a rolling pin, roll it out trying to keep it all the same thickness: 1/2 centimeter. Transfer it to a baking tray and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- When the dough is cold and has hardened, cut it into discs with a 6 cm cookie cutter. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper (I used the Le Creuset pizza tray), leaving a little space between each.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool on the same tray before handling.
- Fill a piping bag with the dulce de leche and place a generous amount on half of the wafers. Close them with the other half, pressing gently (be careful, they are very fragile) so that the dulce de leche spreads throughout the interior and slightly oozes out the edges.
- Place a small amount of desiccated coconut on a plate and roll the edge of the alfajores gently until well coated.
Le Creuset pizza stone and Caractère Revol porcelain plate
How to make dulce de leche at home
Dulce de leche is easy to find in supermarkets or in our pantry section, but it's very easy to make at home. You just need to put a can of condensed milk in a pressure cooker, cover it with water and cook at position 2 (or second ring) for 20–30 minutes. Wait for the cooker to lose pressure before opening it and for the water to cool completely before removing the can and using the dulce de leche.
