It’s a traditional cookie found in some regions in Spain and in countries of Latin America. I first made alfajores many years ago when my neighborhood had a little gourmet dinner group that met once a month. One of the gals in our group was Peruvian, and she suggested I bake these for her dinner party. Everyone loved them! Picture serving steak with chimichurri sauce, empanadas, your favorite malbec or tequila and alfajores for dessert. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
Ingredients needed:
salted butter granulated white sugar egg yolks brandy or cognac vanilla extract lemon zest all purpose flour cornstarch baking soda, baking powder and salt grated coconut dulce de leche powdered sugar
How do you make Alfajores?
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Tips for making the best alfajores:
Make sure that your room temperature butter is pretty soft. If it’s too firm, the cookie dough will tend to be more crumbly. Don’t be afraid to use the brandy! It does NOT give a liquor taste to these cookies. It works well with the lemon and vanilla, and I think it adds an element of flavor that wouldn’t be there if you left it out. If you have to leave it out, be sure to add 2 tablespoons of milk in its place. Be sure to use ‘grated’ coconut and not shredded coconut. I am able to find it in a bulk bin at Whole Foods. If you cannot find it, go ahead and whir your shredded coconut in the food processor to create much smaller pieces. Rounds are the typical shape used for these cookies. Try using different shaped round cutters. I made some 2-inch and then made some much smaller ones too. Take the time to make homemade dulce de leche– it’s so easy to do and you’ll be happy you did!
The first time I baked these, I brought them to a dinner party, and they were served with Lucuma ice cream that they hostess had made. Lucuma is a fruit that is native to Peru and it is rarely seen in the United States. Since the fruit cannot be brought to the US on the airplane, our hostess brought back Lucuma powder to make the ice cream. In Peru, Lucuma ice cream is more popular than chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream. I thought it was delicious. If I ever get myself to Peru, I’d love to try the real thing. The alfajores were a big hit at the party. They were a perfect garnish for ice cream, and the few that were left over were gone before the end of the night.
If you’re up for trying something new, try baking alfajores. You’ll be glad you did because they really are so delicious. Enjoy! Note: If you don’t like coconut, you can always leave it out. However, I’m one who doesn’t always like coconut but love it in these cookies. It doesn’t take on an overwhelming flavor at all.
