Alfajores

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Beat 200 g softened unsalted butter with 150 g granulated sugar for about three minutes, then add the 54 g egg yolks one at a time, followed by 5 g vanilla extract, 3 g lemon zest and 10 g brandy. The brandy and zest add a light aromatic backdrop that balances the deep sweetness of the caramel filling. The mixture is ready when it is fluffy, smooth and creamy yellow, with no gritty sugar left.

   Suggested time: about 3 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Sift 300 g cornstarch, 200 g all-purpose flour, 8 g baking powder, 2 g baking soda and a pinch salt together into the butter bowl, then use your hands or a flat spatula to gently gather everything into a mass. The high proportion of cornstarch gives the cookies their soft, crumbly, almost powdery texture, just like traditional alfajores. The dough is ready when it is smooth, soft and no longer sticky; if it feels a little dry, squeeze it gently until it comes together.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Press the dough into a flat disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about forty-five minutes. A dough this rich in cornstarch is very delicate and can only be rolled and cut once it is cold and firm. It is ready when it feels firm but still holds a fingerprint when pressed.

   Suggested time: about 45 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Heat the oven to 170°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Alfajores need a moderate oven so they bake through while staying ivory white instead of browning. The oven is ready after a full fifteen minutes of preheating.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Dust your work surface with a little cornstarch, roll the dough about five millimeters thick, then cut rounds with a five-centimeter cutter and arrange them on the trays two centimeters apart. An even thickness helps all the rounds bake at the same rate and pair up neatly. You are done when you have an even number of rounds with clean, round edges.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Bake at 170°C for 9 to 11 minutes, watching closely during the last few minutes. Overbaked cookies turn dry and lose their signature melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. They are done when the tops are still ivory, the bottoms are just turning pale golden and the surface feels dry to a light touch.

   Bake at 170°C for about 9 to 11 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Let the cookies sit on the tray for about five minutes, then gently move them to a wire rack and let them cool completely, about thirty minutes. Warm cookies are extremely fragile and would make the caramel filling runny. They are ready when fully cool and they stay flat when you lift them.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Divide 450 g dulce de leche evenly over the flat side of half the cookies, about a heaping spoonful each, then top with the remaining cookies and twist gently so the filling spreads to the edges. Twisting instead of pressing hard keeps the cookies from cracking. The sandwiches are just right when the filling peeks out as a thin ring around the edge.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Pour 40 g desiccated coconut onto a plate, hold each cookie like a wheel and roll its edge through the coconut. The coconut sticks to the exposed filling, decorating the cookies and keeping the caramel off your fingers. They are finished when the edges are evenly coated in a ring of white coconut.

   Mark step 9 as done