I discovered alfajores when I was in Buenos Aires a few years ago. Since then, they have become somewhat of a representative dessert for me, mixing the beauty and familiarity that I associate with Latin America and the aspiration I have toward the French mastery of culinary arts, especially pastries. They sit firmly at the locus of the concentric circles where comfort, refinement and aspiration meet, which is why I think I’ve waited so long to attempt them myself. I’m still evolving. We all arrive at that point, often without realizing it, just to have it shift on us again in an ancient dance as old as time.
Alfajores are a combination of patience and ease. They are soft, delicate cookies from South America, known mostly as Argentinean. They’re made with cornstarch, which gives the dough a smooth, satiny texture that makes it a dream to work with and produces a tender, crumbly cookie that comes together so easily with minimal bake time. Creamy dulce de Leche, which only yields its alluring, rich flavor after a long, long simmer, holds the cookies together. Alfajores embody all of the characteristics, paradoxically delicate with a complex, enduring center, that reflect the rich and intricate history of Buenos Aires.
In attempting these cookies I found myself wondering why it takes so long to make a good deep, rich, gooey dulce de leche and how it differs from caramel. The answer is in its rich alchemy. Caramelizing sugar is one thing, but caramelizing something else, be it milk, meat or bread, is another game entirely. Water can’t get hotter than 100°C/212°F. Most sugars (with the exception of fructose) only start caramelizing at a temperature of 160°C/320°F. This means that when you’re cooking sweetened, condensed milk in a water bath, the sugar in the sweetened, condensed milk doesn’t actually get hot enough to caramelize, as when you’re making a dry or wet caramel.
There has to be another magical browning process involved in the making of dulce de leche. The Maillard reaction. It occurs when sugars and proteins are heated together. As the sugars react with the proteins, a complex mixture of different molecules responsible for a range of flavors and odors is formed. We like this almost instinctively. Browning. Bread crust, seared meat, roasted coffee, dark thickened onions, rich ripe cheeses. The luxuries of life. The more alkaline the food (a higher PH and the ability to neutralize acid) the more it browns. This is why we add baking soda to flour to aid in the browning of the cookies. And this is why it takes so ridiculously long to make dulce de leche.
It is not the sugar in the milk that caramelizes, it is the sugar and the proteins in the milk that react together to create delicious molecules. We crave this. Humans have cultivated it in the culinary arts long before we could ever name it. It’s a fundamental desire, like seeking out beauty and our natural pull toward water. It is why Argentinians will almost always brown their meat on the parilla. It’s why they wait the three hours to build deep flavor and complexity in these alfajores when a simple caramel will do just fine. It makes their cookies robust and it will make yours that way too.
There are a few ways to make dulce de leche and most Latin Americans I know just take a can of sweetened condensed milk and simmer it in a pot of boiling water for a few hours. If you live in a small apartment like mine you will create a sauna/steam room. If you’re not into that, you can also open the can and bake it in the oven in a water bath for the same amount of time. Either method allows the process to take place.
You don’t have to be the “type of person” who stays home to make cookies to make these. I found the different parts of the process and the individual attention you give to each one a way to take a time out and put my effort toward one thing in a world where I’m usually multitasking. I also did something atypical and went to a store to get labels and bags and stickers to box these puppies up and give them away as timely gifts. Check out my bounty below. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Class dismissed!
Alfajores
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pisco or brandy
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Dulce de Leche, at room temperature (see recipe below)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- desiccated coconut for rolling
For the Dulce De Leche
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
For the dulce de leche
If you’re using the sweetened condensed milk in a can method you can make this up to 3 weeks beforehand if stored in the fridge tightly covered. I’m starting with this instruction because you basically just have to boil the can for 3 hours.
Bring a large pan of water to a rolling boil. Make sure that you put enough water in the pan to completely cover the can you’re about to cook.
Remove the label from the can of sweetened, condensed milk and carefully submerge it into the boiling water using a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon. Make sure you place the can on its side, so it can roll around. If you place the can bottom or top-side down, the boiling water can cause it to bounce up and down..annoying.
Cook the can for 3 hours, making sure the can is covered with water at all times. Add more boiling water if necessary.
Using a pair of thongs, a fork or a slotted spoon, take the can out of the pan and place it onto a heatproof surface to cool. Make sure it has cooled to room temperature before you open the can, otherwise the dulce de leche will squirt out like a fountain. Once cooled, stir until smooth.
for the cookies
Place the cornstarch, measured flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk briefly to combine; set aside.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and mix until the mixture is light in color and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, pisco or brandy, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Gradually add the reserved flour mixture and mix until just incorporated with no visible white pockets.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape it into a smooth disk, and wrap it tightly. Place in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness (the dough will crack but can be easily patched back together). Stamp out 24 rounds using a plain or fluted 2-inch round cutter, rerolling the dough as necessary until all of it is gone.
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, 12 per sheet and at least 1/2 inch apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time until the cookies are firm and pale golden on the bottom, about 12 to 14 minutes. (The cookies will remain pale on top.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Flip half of the cookies upside down and gently spread about 2 teaspoons of the dulce de leche on each. Place a second cookie on top and gently press to create a sandwich. Dust generously with powdered sugar before serving. Roll sides through desiccated coconut. Cookies will keep for a week in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Awesome recipe Amanda. This is a new dessert for me and it looks fantastic.
Thanks, Jovina! They really are a treat.
Those look beautiful and very Christmassy with the the dusting of sugar – you could almost tie ribbons round them and hang them on the tree 😉
Thanks, Mad Dog! I don’t make cookies often, but for some reason I really wanted to make these. They turned out so well. 🙂
They look fantastic!
🙂 You’re always so kind.
Ohhhh I loooove alfajor 😀 we also have them in Brazil!
Very cool! I figured they’d be in Brazil. They’re SOOOOO good right?
Yesssss they are amazing!!! In Brazil with also have it with dulce de leche, though we call it doce de leite 😀
The other day I had one because I friend of mine from Brazil was here and he had some with him, so he gave them to me!! 😀 But I never tried to do them at home… maybe I should try! 😀
That is so cool. I bet you’d do a great job making alfajores e doce de leite! Beijos.
😀 haha thank you!! Beijos :*
Great post! I love alfajores!
Thanks so much. Me too. Not everyone has had them so I’m glad to hear people who have a soft spot for them like I do.
So happy you didn’t wait any longer to make these, Amanda… they look absolutely scrumptious!
Thanks so much, Nancy! I’m glad I did it too. I already want to make more. xo
I’ve never had alfajores, but they look amazing!
Thanks, Debbie. They’re worth trying. Sooooo good. I ate so many of them in Argentina. 🙂
I would have too! Yum!
These look so amazing Amanda! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh I just wish I could reach through the screen, they look so tempting delicious.
Thanks so much, Cornelia. I created a steam room in my little place but it was so worth it. By the end of the evening I was under a pile of coconut and dulce de leche. Not a bad place to be. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing….until you wake up and want more.
Yes yes yes! I am making these! I’ve always wondered about the difference between dulce de leche and caramel. Didn’t know it was the Maillard reaction. The science behind baking is pretty cool, isn’t it? Anyway, I’ll be making these soon. Maybe for the last days of Chanuka. I’ll let you know 🙂 Chag sameach!
Chag sameach, Chaya! I was partly inspired by your cute pistachio cookies. Baking scienceis fascinating. I’m learning so much about cooking through baking too. It really is rewarding. Xo
Amanda, they look absolutely delightful and so delicate 🙂
Thank you! They were really fun to make too. It’s been interesting learning about baking science and nice to finally embrace what used to be a challenge (baking).
wow–these look all sorts of good! What fun that must have been 🙂 Lovely post per usual.
Thanks, Liz. They were delicious and a lot of fun to put together. I really enjoyed the process. 😉
Recipes make the best souvenirs, don’t they? Not only can you enjoy them again whenever you like but preparing the dish will often bring to mind the place you first tasted them. It works for me. Your alfajores, I imagine, would prove my point. WIth 3 hours spent making the dulce de leche, surely you spent a minute or two thinking of Buenos Aires. Bet you did again when you took your first bite, too. It’s such a beautiful, flavorful cookie. How could you not think of where you first “met”? Another wonderful post, Amanda. Thank you.
This is so true, John. I like that idea, thinking of recipes as souvenirs. Nothing brings you back to “where you met” like a recipe. I think it’s because taste and smell are so tied to experiences. This did bring me right back. Very insightful. Thanks so much for reading and for your thoughtful comments.
Oh, John said everything I wanted to say (but can never say as eloquently as he does). Amanda, you brought back nostalgic memories of days I spent in Buenos Aires. I was there for a few weeks with my tango teacher to learn, practice and watch tango. I also was introduced to a few food there and some not Argentinian. Many qudos to you, as I never thought of making alfajores. Yours look so much better than what I have seen in the stores. Fabulous!!!
Thanks, Fae. You actually jogged my memory too of seeing some amazing, very moving tango. I hope you bought a few beautiful pairs of tango shoes. There really is so much good food in Argentina. I ate like a queen, a lot of it is Italian. You should definitely try your hand at these. I think you’d nail it. Now I kind of want to go back! xo
I brought home 10 pairs for me and a few more for fellow dancers! 😀 )))
Gosh these look lovely! I’ve had cookies made with cornstarch (we say cornflour here) before and they are so light and crumbly. My mouth is watering looking at yours 🙂 What a wonderful present.
And thank you for sharing tips about dulce de leche. I tend to put the condensed milk in a pan with butter and sugar and then stir like crazy for 15 minutes until it reduces, but I’ve done the boil-tin-in-pan a few times before as well. However I’ve never thought to bake it in a bain marie – what a great idea. It sounds like the most hassle free way too, so I’ll have to give it a go!
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Thanks, Trixpin! It’s so funny to notice the differences in our English when we speak “baking”. I bet you make great dulce de leche. I’ve always admired your baking prowess. This was my first time using cornstarch(flour) as anything but a thickener for sauces. I really love the consistency it lends to the cookies. I’d definitely make these again. I think you should too 🙂 Have a wonderful holiday too. xox
Amanda, you have excelled yourself. Lovely post and delicious looking biscuits / cookies / tasty delights.
Happy Christmas to you and yours,
Conor
Thank you, Conor! Have a wonderful holiday as well.
Not only did you give us a delicious cookie recipe but a lesson of how things work as well. 🙂 Lucky are the recipients of your little gifts.
Thanks, karen. I’m learning and think it’s so fascinating. Everyone should try alfajores! 🙂
Not only a wonderful recipe, but one you have such fond memories of from your time in Argentina – the connection makes your post so very special, from the heart. Then the “kitchen alchemy” on top, just great! Wonderful alfajores….Hope you have the most joyful Christmas, Amanda (and PS I envy those who will receive a jar of ducle de leche from you ;-)).
Thanks so much, Sabine. This is what i love about baking. It combines emotion and science two fundamental pays about being human. What a thoughtful comment to acknowledge that. Have a wonderful Christmas. Xox
I love these things. It’s been a long time since I’ve had them but now I defo need one! Send some over?
I would love to! Not sure how well they travel. I love how you’ve had them before when it really is so far away from where you are. I hope your catering thing is coming together well and that you have a wonderful holiday (and the fam too).
Cheers Amanda. The catering has been keeping us extra busy that’s for sure! All the best and a very merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous – and I have been reading that you can mak dulce de leche in the slow cooker, so I was looking for a reason to give it a go!
Yes i read that too. It’s probably fantastic. Definitely tell me if you do it so i can copy you. Thanks so much, Chica.
Echoing your intro, I myself first discovered Alfajores years ago in . . . . the WHOLE FOODS packaged baked goods section! I took them to my office as a holiday “gift” to put on the reception area ledge and they flew ! When I tried one I knew why. When I was reading your post I thought, yeah, a long time (for the dulce de leche), but then when I saw the instructions, 3 hours???? I thought 17 minutes was a long time when I made caramel! Thanks also for the information both scientific and philosophical. Great food for thought.
So funny that you found them in Whole Foods. They are fantastic right? If you don’t feel like spending that much (inactive, but supervisory) time making dulce de leche, I’m sure you could order a good jar of it from buenos aires or even find it somewhere in whole foods. The cookies are easy and fun to make. Cool that you make caramel. Thanks as always for reading.
Beautiful cookies. And science! 🙂 Hope you’re having a perfectly wonderful holiday season.
Thanks, Michelle! I hope you’re having a wonderful season too. I don’t know why I’m obsessing over your tofu skins lately. I have a feeling I’m going to have to give that a shot soon. Have a wonderful holiday!