Description
Alfajores (Peruvian Style) are delicate vanilla shortbread cookies sandwiched with creamy manjar blanco, a homemade dulce de leche. This traditional South American treat features tender, lightly sweetened cookies with a smooth, caramel-like filling, perfect for afternoon snacks or celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Manjar Blanco
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- Pinch kosher salt
Vanilla Shortbread Cookie
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup corn starch, sifted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste (optional)
- 1 large egg yolk (optional)
Assembly
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Make Manjar Blanco: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sweetened condensed milk in a small baking dish, cover with foil, and set in a larger baking dish. Add water halfway up the side of the smaller dish to create a water bath. Bake for 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes, replenishing water if needed. Let cool 15 minutes, then remove foil and whisk until smooth. Discard cinnamon stick.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sifted corn starch, powdered sugar, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Flavor: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter and vanilla extract or paste until smooth. Add egg yolk and mix just until combined.
- Combine Dough: Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing slowly until fully combined, about 1 minute. Form dough into a ball, flatten into a 2-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven and Roll Dough: Heat oven to 350°F. On parchment paper, roll dough between sheets until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. If dough is cold and stiff, let rest 10 minutes to warm slightly.
- Cut and Chill Cookies: Cut dough into 3-inch rounds using a cookie cutter. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Repeat rolling and cutting with remaining dough, rerolling twice.
- Score and Bake Cookies: Lightly score tops with fork tines and bake 11 to 13 minutes until firm but without browning edges. Cool completely on baking sheets.
- Assemble Alfajores: Flip half the cookies over. Fill a piping bag with manjar blanco and pipe or spoon a round on the flat side of each flipped cookie. Gently top with another cookie, pressing lightly. Roll sides in sifted powdered sugar.
- Store and Serve: Store alfajores in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Enjoy as a sweet snack or dessert.
Notes
- Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; chilling helps moisture distribute evenly.
- Store-bought dulce de leche can be used but whisk until smooth to remove lumps.
- Mini alfajores can be made with a 1 1/2-inch cutter; larger ones with a 3-inch cutter.
- Alfajores store best in airtight containers at room temperature.
- Manjar blanco can be made up to 3 days ahead and tempered by warming before use.
- Use baking sheets, parchment paper, an offset spatula, and a stand mixer if available for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 10g)
- Calories: 386 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Fat: 19.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.1 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
