Alfajores Recipes

Steps:

• Make the dulce de leche: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then carefully lower condensed milk cans on their sides into the water. Simmer for 3 hours 15 minutes, refilling with hot water as needed to keep cans submerged. Never let the water boil away, or the cans could burst. Using tongs, transfer cans to a rack to let cool completely before opening.
• In a small bowl, combine brandy, lemon zest and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks and beat to combine, then add brandy mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
• Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from plastic wrap and slice into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Place on prepared sheet pans, then bake until edges start to turn golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer each pan to a rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, combine dulce de leche with remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and a large pinch of salt. Spoon the mixture into a plastic zipper bag and cut a corner off. (Or you could scoop it into a pastry bag if you prefer, or just use a spoon.)
• Flip half of the cookies upside down and pipe a thick layer of dulce de leche onto bottoms (or use a spoon to spoon the mixture on). Top with remaining cookies to sandwich the dulce de leche in the middle. Roll sides in coconut. Eat right away, or store in the refrigerator until serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, allowing each yolk to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla rum, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest with the last egg. Gently fold in the flour mixture with a spoon, making a crumbly dough. When the dough becomes cohesive enough, press it together into a ball with your hands. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough, using as little flour as possible, about 1/4 inch thick. The dough will have an unusual consistency. Cut with a small round cookie cutter. Continue pressing the dough together, rolling it out, and cutting until you have used it all. Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set but not browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies immediately to cool on a wire rack.
• Spread the underside of a cooled cookie with a teaspoon of dulce de leche, then sandwich together with another cookie until the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in the shredded coconut.

Steps:

• Combine condensed milk and butter for filling in a pot over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it coats the back of a spoon and becomes caramelized, about 2 hours.
• While the filling is simmering, mix flour, butter, powdered sugar, pisco, baking powder, and salt for cookies in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until a dough forms.
• Shape dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch or 3/16 inch. Use a small cookie cutter to cut approximately 80 circles. Transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheets; prick each cookie once with the tines of a fork.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until edges are just golden, about 12 minutes, switching racks halfway through; do not let them brown. Remove oven and transfer to a wire rack. Repeat to cook remaining cookies.
• When the filling has finished simmering, let it cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Spread filling over one side of 2 cookies, and press together like sandwiches. Roll in powdered sugar to coat. Repeat to fill and coat remaining cookies.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, corn flour and baking powder together in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Using a food mixer or an electric whisk in another bowl beat the butter together with the sugar and lemon zest until very pale. Add the egg yolks followed by the Cognac and vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients until you have smooth dough. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 1 hour. You can make the biscuit dough the day before and leave in the fridge.
• Line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin then cut out 60 biscuits with a 5cm round or fluted cutter. Put the biscuits back in the fridge for 20 mins to firm up.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake the biscuits for 8 mins until just set. You want the biscuits to stay pale with a crumbly texture. Leave to cool completely before sandwiching two biscuits together with a spoonful of dulce de leche. Once all the biscuits are sandwiched together roll in desiccated coconut.

Steps:

• Place the entire, unopened can of condensed milk in a large saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until milk inside has caramelized, about 2 hours.
• Remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you make the cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat butter and sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in egg, then mix in flour until well combined.
• Drop batter by small teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip your finger into flour, and pat each cookie into a very thin, little circle (about the size of a quarter).
• Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to brown around the edges and no longer doughy in the centers, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Sandwich cooled cookies together with the caramelized condensed milk.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue mixing until well combined, about 1 minute. Working in batches, add flour mixture; mix until well combined. Add milk, orange juice, and vanilla; continue mixing until a dough forms, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Using a tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Transfer to oven and bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, until golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack until completely cool.
• When cookies have cooled completely, spread the bottoms of half of the cookies with dulche de leche, cajeta, or jam; sandwich together with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Just before serving, lightly sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Steps:

• Mix flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl. Place butter in a separate bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until soft and fluffy. Add white sugar and vanilla and mix well.
• Add flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture in 3 stages; mix until just blended. Divide dough in half and roll each half into a log. Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Slice dough logs into 1/4-inch cookies and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until just starting to turn golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes more.
• Use a knife to apply a generous amount of dulce de leche on one cookie. Sandwich another cookie on top and place on a serving tray. Repeat with remaining cookies and dulce de leche. Lightly dust finished cookies with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 large baking sheets.
• Pour 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk into top of double-boiler pan. Add cinnamon stick. Place over boiling water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours, or until thick and caramel colored. (Some additional water will be needed for bottom pan of double boiler). Remove from heat; remove cinnamon stick.
• Sift cornstarch, flour and baking powder together into medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl on medium speed until creamy. Add yolks; mixing well. Add lemon zest and brandy. With wooden spoon, mix cornstarch mixture into butter mixture to make a soft dough. If it is too soft (should not be runny), add some additional flour. With floured hands, form dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough into at least 34, 2-inch circles. Reroll dough as necessary. Place circles on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes or until set; careful not to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• Spread about 2 teaspoons Caramelized Milk to flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches. If desired, allow some of the Caramelized Milk filling to squeeze from the sides or spread more around the sides to roll in coconut, nuts or cocoa powder.
• Cookies will keep in the refrigerator for several days or up to 3 months in the freezer.