Argentinian foods: All about dulce de leche & alfajores

Argentina has glaciers, talented tango dancers, and Malbec wines that’ll have you saying “más, por favor.” But, you better believe Tour Director Emiliano when he says dulce de leche tops them all.

Try the sweet spread for yourself by making some alfajores cookies at home. Here's our favorite recipe!

Alfajores
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla rum
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 tsp lemon zest
11.5-oz jar dulce de leche
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
Confectioners’ sugar, to serve (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together flour, corn starch, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.

In a separate, large bowl, beat the butter and white sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, allowing each one to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the 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 begins to stick together, 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 in thick. Cut out cookies 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 in apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake in the 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 1 tsp of dulce de leche, then sandwich together with another cookie until the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in shredded coconut if desired and top with confectioners’ sugar.

Did you bake alfajores? Head to our Facebook page to post a picture of your cookies!

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