it 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 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.
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.
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!
