These Easy Alfajores Sandwich Cookies Will Satisfy Every Sweet Tooth
There was a time when I was obsessed with baked goods filled with dulce de leche. The only reason the mania ended is because I moved away from the bakery named after the ingredient. If you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the custardy, sweet, caramel flavor, I have a reason for you to try: Alfajores. From the moment you try them, you’ll be a lifelong addict.
What is alfajores?
Alfajores has its roots in Spain, but is eaten in many parts of the world, including Chile, Argentina, the Philippines and Southern France. These are simple but satisfying sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche, often wrapped in coconut on the edges. Depending on the regional style, alfajores can be made with thick, buttery cookies, crumbly, nut-based cookies, or thin, cracker-like cookies. In its simplest form, it’s two carbon discs with thick caramel dulce de leche in the center, and that’s a reason to get excited.
How to make lazy alfajores?
You can make dulce de leche from a can of sweetened condensed milk and bake a whole batch of butter cookies. Or you can do it the lazy way. Both paths lead to real alfajores. I fully support you in creating them completely from scratch. However, I eat food the way the Beast eats porridge in front of Belle. The lazy way makes more sense for my ratio of preparation time to speed of pleasure.
Buy a box of butter cookies or plain water crackers. Thick butter cookies are a more popular type and produce a richer, sweeter flavor. If you like desserts that are not too sweet and not too filling, try the water cracker version. The cracker has no added sweetness and acts as a neutral delivery system for dulce de leche and coconut. You can buy a buttery cracker like the Ritz if you want to hit the sweet spot while also getting a salty bite.
Buy a package of ready-made dulce de leche. It is usually found in the “international food” section of large supermarkets, next to the Latin or South American food shelves. If you can’t find it, dulce de leche is easy to make at home using a can of sweetened condensed milk. ( Here are three different ways to do it.) The consistency should be thick, like Skippy’s peanut butter, almost fluffy.
Grind a cup of grated coconut in a food processor until the pieces are small. This is optional, but I find smaller pieces will stick better. Place the coconut on a plate. Lay out a few cookies or crackers, turning them over if applicable. I used Walkers shortbread and Carr crackers with plain water. They are both about two inches wide. Spoon about one tablespoon of dulce de leche onto each disc in the center. Place another cookie or cracker, face up, on top of the filling and press gently until the filling almost reaches the edges. Roll out the edges of the cookies on a coconut plate so that the pieces stick to the filling. Repeat for all alphahors.
You can enjoy these treats right away or let them sit for a few hours (or overnight) before enjoying them. Unrested cookies will be crispy on the outside and the filling may press out slightly on the sides, but the textural contrast between the crunchy cookies, soft, flavorful filling and chewy coconut is satisfying. If you leave them in place, the moisture from the dulce de leche will soften the cracker or cookie, making the texture more uniform and keeping the filling in place. There is no wrong way to do this. Whatever you choose, the milky caramel, coconut, and butter cookie flavors won’t let you down (especially if you’ve had a hot cup of coffee).
Lazy Alfajores
Ingredients:
- 8 cookies (or water crackers)
- ¼ cup dulce de leche
- ¼ cup finely grated desiccated coconut
Place coconut on a small plate. Place four cookies, back side up, on a separate plate. Place a tablespoon of dulce de leche in the center of each cookie. Place four more cookies, back side down, on the dulce de leche to create a sandwich. Press gently until the filling reaches the edges. Roll the edges of each alfajore in coconut to help adhere to the dulce de leche. Enjoy immediately for crispy cookies, or store at room temperature for at least four hours for softer cookies.