Best South American Alfajores Recipes

SOUTH AMERICAN ALFAJORES

Steps:

• Empty sweetened condensed milk into 8 inch glass pie plate. If you can't find 11 oz. sweetened condensed milk then use 14 oz. Put 1/4 inch hot water into 2 quart shallow casserole. Set pie plate in water. Bake at 425°F for about 1 hour and 20 minutes to caramelize.
• FOR THE COOKIES: Cream butter and sugar in medium bowl. Beat in egg and egg yolk. Add lemon peel, cornstarch, flour and baking powder. Stir. Work with your hands until dough sticks together. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Roll dough a scant 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2 inch circles. Arrange on greased baking sheet. Bake in 325°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. They should be dry but not brown. Cool.
• Sandwich 2 cookies together with a layer of caramelized condensed milk. Spread a thin layer of caramelized condensed milk around outside edge of alfajores. Roll edge in coconut. Makes 30 alfajores.
• Leftover caramelized sweetened condensed milk is great on toast.
• Company's Coming for Christmas.

ALFAJORES (SOUTH AMERICAN DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES)

Steps:

• Sift the cornstarch, flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beating until they are incorporated.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 batches, allowing each batch to become incorporated before adding the next.
• Form the dough into a disc without handling it too much. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll out to about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out 40 2-inch rounds, and carefully place the rounds on two lightly greased cookie sheets.
• Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, but not so long that they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cookies to wire racks and cool completely.
• Spread about 2 teaspoons of dulce de leche on the flat half of a cookie and cover it with the flat half of another cookie to form a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
• If desired, sprinkle the finished cookies with powdered sugar.