Alfajores
My first alfajore was from San Francisco's Citizen Cake. They were a favorite of the restaurant's staff, and for good reason. They were crumbly, flaky, creamy, gooey, amazing. They made a HUGE mess when you ate them, though. They should have been served with bibs. Sadly, Citizen Cake has closed its doors. So I am forced to try and make my own alfajores.
Alfajores are a South American (Peruvian? Argentinian? Bolivian?--I've seen them attributed to all) sandwich cookie. It's two flaky shortbread like cookies with dulce de leche in between. The cookies are usually coated in powdered sugar, but sometimes they are rolled in coconut, too. I'm opting for the simpler, no coconut recipe here.
For the dulce de leche: Sweetened condensed milk manufacturers DO NOT recommend boiling the whole can in water. This can make the can act like a mini pressure cooker and possibly explode. This has not been a problem for me, but it is something that looms in the back of my mind whenever I boil a whole can to make dulce de leche. Take care and caution when you do so. Also, I do not use the sweetened condensed milk that comes in the pop-tab cans. I'm afraid that the easy-to-open edge might be more likely to blow under heat and pressure.
For the shortbread: If you have a great aversion to cornstarch, you can do all flour instead. Just do 2 1/4 c flour instead of 1 1/4 c flour + 1 c cornstarch. I like using cornstarch sometimes in shortbread cookies because it gives them a lighter, crumblier, flakier texture.
Alfajores
1 10oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 c cornstarch
1 ¼ c all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
½ t salt
½ c (1 stick) butter
¼ c white sugar
½ c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
more powdered sugar for dusting
For the dulce de leche:
Place whole, unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot. Cover the can with room temperature water, covering the top of the can with at least 1 inch of water. Cover pot, place heat on low to bring to a low simmer. Once simmering, continue to cook for 2 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on the pot. It will make some noises as the can of milk hops around occasionally, but it shouldn't reach a rollicking boil. If the water level falls, add more water to keep the can covered.
After 2 1/2 hrs, carefully remove can from pot using tongs, and allow can to cool completely to room temperature before opening.
For the cookies:
Sift together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a stand mixer, cream together butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg yolks and mix to combine.
Add flour mixture and gently combine. Tip out dough onto a work surface. I used a roul'pat, but parchment paper would work well, too. DO NOT flour the work surface.
Roll out dough to no thicker than 1/4 in. Use a cookie cutter to cut out rounds, and place on a baking sheet. My cookie cutter was a little bigger than a silver dollar.
Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. You do not want the cookies to brown much, but stay pale. They will lose their cookie dough gloss, and may crack a little on top. This is when they are perfect.
Cool cookies on a rack completely before making the sandwich cookies.
To assemble, sandwich a ~2t dollop of dolce de leche between two cookies. Dust both sides generously with powdered sugar.
YUM! Goes great with a cup of coffee or tea.
