Anyone who has ever tasted Dulce de leche will agree that it’s perfect for filling sandwich cookies. The best example here, are Alfajores with Dulce de leche. Perfection in miniature. We love the caramel cream together with the crumbly cookie – it’s such a nice and sweet treat! In case you never tried… it’s about time! ;)
Alfajores come in many variations. In South America they often look like these sandwich cookies here – in Spain (on the other hand), they can look completely different. More like little chunky sausages – similar to the famous Croquetas de Jamon. ;) Some recipes use nuts and honey for the dough, some Alfajores are dipped in chocolate – they can look (and taste) quite different. This here is probably the easiest (and simplest) version there is. Shortcrust cookies, caramel filling, and some confectioners’ sugar on top. That’s it. Probably not the most traditional version, but one of the easier ones for sure. ;P
There is no need to complicate your life, right? The recipe for the cookies has been tried and tested several times. We use a dough like this one for almost all of your sugar cookies and many Christmas cookie recipes. Works always well. For the filling, we used Dulce de leche from a can – a souvenir from Argentina. You don’t have to travel abroad for caramel cream – you will probably get it at your local supermarket as well. It’s quite popular, so many supermarkets sell this product now. Just in case you can’t find it in a store (or online), you can make it at home, of course. We got a recipe for homemade Dulce de leche here on the blog. It’s easy to prepare.
As already mentioned, there are many versions of Alfajores out there. In case you prefer something different, you can, of course, adapt the recipe here to suit your taste. Dusting the sandwich cookies with confectioners’ sugar is probably the easiest way to decorate them. Some recipes will tell you to dip the cookies into desiccated (shredded) coconut, so it sticks to the caramel cream between the cookies. That’s something you can easily change here.
Or you could dip the cookies into melted chocolate and coat them halfway or completely with the chocolate. It’s a bit more work, but definitely a nice addition. I would appreciate it when someone adds chocolate to the cookies. Just sayin’ ;P
The Spanish version of the Alfajores cookies is mostly baked (and sold) around Christmas. Versions of the sandwich cookie Alfajores are available in South America all year round. If you make them at home, nobody can limit you. You can bake and eat them all year, any time, everywhere. ;P
Dulce de leche is often used for desserts and other sweet treats in South American cuisine. Extremely delicious but also a bit sweet and sugary. You should perhaps bear this in mind before eating the whole batch of cookies on your own and not sharing them with anyone. »Sharing is caring«. For your own health, in this case. ;P
Saying that – if you like it sweet and sugary, we got more! ;P This Tres Leches Cake aka. Biscocho de tres leches is quite sweet, but also very delicious. Dangerously delicious. If you prefer something more chocolaty, you might want to take a look at our Brazilian Chocolate Coffee Flan Cake. That one is a real treat with a little kick from the coffee. ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(about 50 cookies)
For the cookie dough:
200g butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 medium egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
For the filling/decoration:
about 10 oz. (300g) store-bought or homemade Dulce de leche
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
(etwa 50 Kekse)
Für den Teig:
200g weiche Butter
100g Zucker
1 Eigelb (M)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
325g Mehl (Type 405)
1/2 TL Backpulver
1 Prise Salz
Für die Füllung/Dekoration:
ca. 300g gekauftes oder selbstgemachtes Dulce de leche
etwas Puderzucker zum Bestäuben (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt – add to the bowl and mix until streusels form, then knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches (0,5cm). Cut out circles with a diameter of about 1.6 oz. (4 cm) and place them with some distance in between on the baking sheet. Collect scraps and roll out again to cut out more circles – you want an even number of cookies.
3. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool down on the baking sheet for a moment, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. If you could not fit all the cookies on the baking sheet, repeat the process.
4. Add a small amount of Dulce de leche to half of the cookies and press them together with a second cookie to create sandwich cookies. Dust with some confectioners’ sugar if you like (optional). Store the Alfajores in a cookie box in a cool place for up to 7 days.
1. Butter und Zucker in einer großen Schüssel hell und luftig aufschlagen. Das Eigelb und den Vanille Extrakt dazugeben und gut unterrühren. Mehl, Backpulver und Salz mischen, dann zur Schüssel dazugeben und so lange mixen, bis sich Streusel bilden, dann mit den Händen zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Den Teig in Klarsichtfolie einschlagen und dann für etwa 2 Stunden in den Kühlschrank legen.
2. Den Ofen auf 150°C (300°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen und zur Seite stellen. Den Teig auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche ausrollen – der Teig sollte etwa 0,5 cm dick sein. Mit einem runden Ausstecher Kreise mit einem Durchmesser von etwa 4 cm ausstechen. Mit ein wenig Abstand zueinander auf das vorbereitete Blech setzen, Teigreste sammeln, neu ausrollen und weitere Teigkreise ausstechen. Am Ende sollte man eine gerade Zahl an Keksen haben.
3. Die Kekse für etwa 18-20 Minuten backen, bis sie nur leicht gebräunt sind. Aus dem Ofen holen, kurz auf dem Blech abkühlen lassen, dann auf ein Kuchengitter setzen und vollständig auskühlen lassen. Wenn nicht alle Kekse auf einen Schlag gebacken werden konnten, den Prozess einfach wiederholen, bis alles gebacken ist.
4. Etwas Dulce de leche auf der Hälfte der Kekse verstreichen und dann mit einem zweiten Keks zu einem Doppeldecker zusammendrücken. Wer mag, kann die Alfajores noch mit etwas Puderzucker bestäuben (optional). Die Kekse sollten sich bis zu 7 Tagen in einer Keksdose an einem kühlen Ort halten.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Alfajores – Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de leche
- Prep Time: 00:30
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 04:00
- Yield: 50 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: Spain
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The perfect sweet little treat – Alfajores are filled with Dulce de leche and super delicious! Once you start, it’s hard to stop. ;P
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
200g butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 medium egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (325g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
For the filling/decoration:
about 10 oz. (300g) store-bought or homemade Dulce de leche
some confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
1. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt – add to the bowl and mix until streusels form, then knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and set aside. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches (0,5cm). Cut out circles with a diameter of about 1.6 oz. (4 cm) and place them with some distance in between on the baking sheet. Collect scraps and roll out again to cut out more circles – you want an even number of cookies.
3. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool down on the baking sheet for a moment, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. If you could not fit all the cookies on the baking sheet, repeat the process.
4. Add a small amount of Dulce de leche to half of the cookies and press them together with a second cookie to create sandwich cookies. Dust with some confectioners’ sugar if you like (optional). Store the Alfajores in a cookie box in a cool place for up to 7 days.
Notes
Let’s get baking!
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