Delicate shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche and covered in powdered sugar. This is the Peruvian recipe.
I followed the recipe exactly until it came time to start rolling out the dough. It simply would not stick together in a way to make it possible to do the cutouts. So, I used 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla mixed with a tablespoon on cold water and kneaded it into the dough.It made it better. THese cookies are not sweet at all and have a sandy texture. They are a good counterpart to the sweetness of the dulce de leche. Here's how I make the dulce: take a can of sweetened condensed milk (fat free or whatever you like), take off the wrapper, immerse the can in a heavy saucepan filled with water, and boil for 3 hours. Check periodically and add water to keep covered. Chill for an hour, then open can. When you do it for three hours, it becomes thick and well browned. Any less and it may be too liquidy for this recipe.
Read Moreit looked just like it, but tasted so bland. i found another recipe that calls for 2 cups of butter 1/4 cup powder sugar and 2 cups of flour. i added 1/2 of regular sugar and 1 tsp. coconut extract too and came out tasting a heck of a lot better. bake at 350 for 10 min.
Read Moreit looked just like it, but tasted so bland. i found another recipe that calls for 2 cups of butter 1/4 cup powder sugar and 2 cups of flour. i added 1/2 of regular sugar and 1 tsp. coconut extract too and came out tasting a heck of a lot better. bake at 350 for 10 min.
I am american but i live in peru, these alfajores really dont taste like the peruvian alfajor, first of all you do not use dulce de leche for alfajores, you use manjar blanco wich is similar but thicker wich is better for the taste, i am not sure where you can get it in the united states but you can get it in peru, and they are bland. maybe i will try to post up an new recepie and see how it works out.but they are not that bad.
I followed the recipe exactly until it came time to start rolling out the dough. It simply would not stick together in a way to make it possible to do the cutouts. So, I used 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla mixed with a tablespoon on cold water and kneaded it into the dough.It made it better. THese cookies are not sweet at all and have a sandy texture. They are a good counterpart to the sweetness of the dulce de leche. Here's how I make the dulce: take a can of sweetened condensed milk (fat free or whatever you like), take off the wrapper, immerse the can in a heavy saucepan filled with water, and boil for 3 hours. Check periodically and add water to keep covered. Chill for an hour, then open can. When you do it for three hours, it becomes thick and well browned. Any less and it may be too liquidy for this recipe.
There are many types of alfajores in Peru. They all vary from region to region. The best alfajores are the ones that melt in your mouth and for this i use corn starch...if the recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, then i mix 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of cornstach. Dulce de leche works but if you want to make manjarblanco, all you do is get a can of condense milk and cook in a pressure cook for 20 minutes and voila...manjarblanco.
To previous comments about the filling - yes, manjarblanco is preferred, but practically impossible to find in the US, and making it is a bit difficult. We've adapted using dulce de leche; but the consistency is more like peanut butter than a smooth caramel cream. Some people find the cookie dough bland, but it is to offset the sweetness of the filling. Most every S. American country makes theirs a little different, with coconut or some other added ingredient. I just tried to replicate the ones my Peruvian mother made for us at Christmas...
Perfect and easy - although I added an extra 2 Tbsp. of cold water to get the dough to stick together. My peruvian husband ate the whole batch and I had to make another.
I replaced the shortening with butter and it turned out perfectly. If you don't want the dough to stick to the surface, spread some flour on the surface, and also on your rolling pin. don't roll the pin from one extreme of the dough to the other, but roll in short intervals. You can add some shredded coconut for gasnish after the alfajores are done.
My 6 1/2 year old son helped me make these for his home school co-op lesson on Peru. I needed to add a little cold water to make the dough come together, but they came out great. I would make them again just for the family.
I added vanilla extract and made the cookies much thinner than the original recipe and added more dulce de leche in the middle. I also used butter flavored vegetable shortening so they are not bland at all. My family loves them!
These were very good though time consuming to make. LOL. I was able to use Manjar Blanco. If any of you live in NYC I was able to find it in a Latin American market called Casa Rivera (40-17 82 St) in Queens. I'm in Brooklyn so it was a bit of a hike but worth it. They also carry Aji Amarillo (yellow Peruvian pepper) in case you need it for other Peruvian recipes. I'm tackling Papas a la Huancaina tomorrow.
This was one of the recipes from this site from which I planned a Peruvian menu for a birthday meal. Instead of making them into sandwich-type cookies, I frosted each thin cookie with lemon butter icing. I also mixed half butter with half shortening. They were EXCELLENT!!! Received rave reviews and were easy! A pleasant combination of pie crust/biscuit. Try them!
My recipe for alfajores calls for 2 cups of flour, 1/4 tsp of salt, 2 sticks of butter (skip the salt if you use salted butter), 1 cup of sugar. Bake at 350 for 8 mins. (I live in high altitude so less time baking, you might have to increase time if you're not over 5000 ft). I roll the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper and use Nestle La Lechera dulce de leche which has the perfect consistency. Where I come from (Brazil) we also use guava paste as an alternate filling. I seldom use powdered sugar as it would make the cookies too sweet.
Also to include:1 Teaspoon vanilla7 table spoons of evaporated milk5 table spoon of regular sugar1 pinch of anis These all go into the dough
Haven't tried this yet, but it looks the most similar to my alfajore recipe. a great tip i would like to add is to make the filling just get a can of sweetened condensed milk and put it into a pot go boiling water for 2 hours! (make sure the water doesn't go below the can; at least an inch above) chill for a little bit then open, and voila! manjor blanco
I really wasn't thrilled by these. They really are very bland even with the filling.
I had to add 2 tbs of water to form the cookies but otherwise a good recipe.
The cookies were a little powdery and I had to add a little bit of extra water (about a tablespoon and a third, but otherwise, these were some of the best cookies I've ever tasted. As far as the dulce de leche is concerned, I messed up on the redipe I was using (no vanilla bean), and it still tasted good. Overall, these cookies are very yummy, and worth the baking!
Not a fan of vegetable shortening (first time I've ever used them to bake with) so I'll be using good ole superior butter next time I make these. The cooking time is too long at 15 mins, mine crisped up and browned at the edges at 11 mins, even at 325. I also added a generous amt of sesame seeds to the dough before baking.
The recipe itself is basic and the result is bland. The alfajores don't stay together, and it's super difficult to keep the dough together.
My husband IS Peruvian from Peru. I have made this version for him and his siblings and mother. They do believe it tastes authentic. It's also really easy to make. The key to alfajores is making them your own. You can add flavoring and use different fillings. You can also make your own dulce de Leche which is actually caramel. Manjar blanco and dulce de leche are the same thing btw to those confused by the terminology. Thanks for the great recipe!
Did not work, cookies ended up spread out on cookie sheet in a sad sad puddle.
