Alfajores

5 from 4 votes

Alfajores Argentinos are popular sandwich cookies from Argentina made with simple shortbread dough and stuffed with rich dulce de leche. This simple, melt-in-your-mouth cookie is perfect for an afternoon treat or a gift and easy to make at home!

Course Dessert

Cuisine argentinian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 8

Resting Time 1

Total Time 1 38

Servings

Calories 135kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Ingredients

7 tbsp unsalted butter 100g, softened
1 cup powdered sugar 100g
3 eggs 2 full eggs + 1 yolk
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose flour 100g
1 ½ cups cornstarch 200g
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup dulce de leche 250g

Instructions

In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to combine the 7 tbsp softened butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Once combined, add ½ tsp vanilla and eggs (2 whole eggs + 1 yolk). Mix again until combined.
Add the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups cornstarch, ½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until everything is combined into a dough.
You do not need to knead the dough, simply gather it together into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
When chilled, roll the dough out to ¼” thick. Then cut the alfajores into 2” circles.
Place them on an unlined, ungreased cookie sheet and chill for an additional 5 minutes in the fridge to ensure they do not spread.
Once chilled, place in the oven for 7-8 minutes until they are brown around the edges.
Allow the cookies to cool, then fill them with dulce de leche and create sandwiches.
Enjoy!

Notes

Butter: It’s always a good idea to use unsalted butter when baking so you can control the amount of salt in the dish.
Cornstarch: There is quite a bit of cornstarch in this recipe. The powdered sugar and cornstarch are what give the cookies a super light and airy texture that melts when you bite into them.
Dulce de Leche: There are many brands of dulce de leche available for purchase. You want a very thick dulce de leche that won’t run off the side of the cookie. Look for pastry Dulce de leche or make your own using this recipe for Instant Pot Dulce de Leche!
Once the dough has been gathered into a ball, you can flatten it a little before wrapping and chilling it. Chilling it while flattened will help with rolling it out later.
You can also cut the cookies into 1” circles and make double the cookies! Reduce the cooking time by a minute or two.
Be sure not to overmix these cookies. The more you mix them and work with the dough, the tougher your cookie may turn out. You want to mix until just combined.
Do not overstuff your cookies. While it sounds delicious, it will be difficult to keep your delicious treats together with too much filling on the inside.
For beautifully made South American Sandwich Cookies, you can use a piping bag to pipe the dulce de leche onto one of the cookies. This will create a gorgeous sandwich without causing too much of a mess.

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