Perfect Alfajores

Gaby Melian
Gaby Melian
Gaby Melian is a professional chef with more than twenty years of industry experience and a lifetime of personal knowledge about food and all its many wonderful flavors. She shares her deep love of food and vast kitchen know-how across multiple food media outlets. Her life in food has led her to many roles, including street vendor, culinary instructor, official Food Revolution ambassador, Bon Appétit test kitchen manager, cooking video host — and who knows what’s next! Gaby completed her culinary training at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City with degrees in Culinary Management, Culinary Arts, and Pastry Arts.
Follow
published Dec 16, 2022
christmas
Be the first to leave a review!
Alfajores de Maicena (Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de Leche) Recipe

This variation of Alfajores from Chef Gaby Melian is filled with dulce de leche and coated in shredded coconut.

Makes12

Jump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Alfajores stacked.
Credit: Photo: Julia Gartland; Food Stylist: Jessie YuChen

Alfajores are sweet treats popular in Argentina. They feature two buttery, crumbly cookies, often with a layer of dulce de leche in between them. Some types of alfajores are covered in chocolate or powdered sugar, while alfajores de maicena are left “naked” with a bit of shredded coconut on the sides. There are variations filled with membrillo (quince) paste, apple butter, figs, lemon, and more. “Maicena” means “cornstarch,” a key ingredient in this recipe, hence their name. The tiny ones are called “alfajorcitos.” For kids in Argentina, there is no birthday party without them; they are sold at every bakery and at every school cafeteria.

But in my opinion, the best ones are always the ones you bake at home. My recipe is filled with dulce de leche and coated in shredded coconut and is as Argentinean as my accent!

Credit: Photo: Julia Gartland; Food Stylist: Jessie YuChen
Comments

Alfajores de Maicena (Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de Leche) Recipe

This variation of Alfajores from Chef Gaby Melian is filled with dulce de leche and coated in shredded coconut.

Makes 12

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons

    unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened

  • 1/2 cup

    powdered sugar (2 ounces)

  • 2

    large eggs

  • 1

    large egg white

  • 1 tablespoon

    grated lemon zest (zested from 1 lemon)

  • 1 teaspoon

    vanilla extract

  • 1 1/2 cups

    plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch (6 1/2 ounces), plus extra for shaping

  • 3/4 cup

    all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces), sifted, plus extra for the counter

  • 1 teaspoon

    baking powder

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • 2 cups

    dulce de leche

  • 1 cup

    unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and confectioners’ sugar. Lock the bowl into place and attach the paddle to the stand mixer. Start the mixer on low speed and beat until creamy and combined, about 1 minute.

  2. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until well combined, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl.

  3. Start the mixer on medium speed and add the whole eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the egg white, lemon zest, and vanilla and continue beating until well combined, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

  4. Add the cornstarch. Start the mixer on low speed and beat until just combined, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.

  5. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Start the mixer and beat on low speed for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until dough forms (like play dough!), about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer.

  6. Scrape down the bowl and remove the bowl from the mixer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until the dough is chilled, about 1 hour.

  7. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle extra flour on a clean counter. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time, transfer the dough to the floured counter and knead briefly until the dough is no longer sticky. Roll the dough into a 10-inch-wide circle, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

  8. Dip a 2-inch round cutter into extra cornstarch. Cut out 12 cookies from the round of dough and use a small offset (icing) spatula to transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure to dip the cutter in cornstarch each time you cut out a cookie. Repeat kneading, rolling, and cutting with the second piece of dough—you should have 24 cookies total.

  9. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until cookies are chilled, about 20 minutes.

  10. While the dough chills, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

  11. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the cookies puff a little, 8 to 10 minutes. (The cookies will be pale, not browned.)

  12. Use oven mitts to remove the baking sheet from the oven and place on a cooling rack (ask a grown-up for help). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully transfer the cookies directly to the cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely, about 20 minutes.

  13. Flip 12 of the cookies over. Scoop 1 tablespoon dulce de leche into the center of each flipped cookie. Place a second cookie on top of the filling to create 12 alfajores, pressing gently until the filling reaches the edges of the cookies.

  14. Put the shredded coconut on a small plate. Gently roll each alfajor on its side in the coconut until the sides are completely covered.

Recipe Notes

Excerpted with permission from Gaby’s Latin American Kitchen by Gaby Melian.

Filed in:
Cookie
Dessert
Latin American
pantry
holiday
baked goods