Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut

Method

1. 1

   Weigh and sift the dry ingredients

   Wash your hands and clean the work surface. Weigh every ingredient; the 3 yolks should total about 51 g. Sift the 200 g cornstarch, 100 g flour and 6 g baking powder together into a bowl. Wash the lemon before grating only its yellow peel to obtain 3 g zest. Keep the dulce de leche and coconut separate from utensils that will touch raw dough.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Weigh and sift the dry ingredients

2. 2

   Cream the butter and add the yolks

   Use the 100 g butter softened enough to yield when pressed, but not melted. Beat it with the 80 g sugar for 2–3 minutes until creamy. Add the yolks in three additions, beating each one in before adding the next. Mix in the 5 g vanilla and 3 g zest; scrape the bowl sides with a spatula.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Cream the butter and add the yolks

3. 3

   Bring the dough together and chill

   Add the dry ingredients in two batches. Mix with a spatula, then gently bring together by hand just until no powdery patches remain; do not knead like bread. Flatten into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes at 4 °C or below. Do not taste raw dough: it contains uncooked flour and egg. Wash your hands, bowl and surface after handling it.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Bring the dough together and chill

4. 4

   Roll and cut forty rounds

   Preheat to 180 °C in a conventional oven or 160 °C fan. Line two trays about 30 × 40 cm with baking parchment. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to about 6 mm thick. Cut 5 cm rounds; gently gather scraps and roll again without overworking. Aim for 40 similar rounds, about 13–14 g dough each, to make 20 pairs. Place 20 on each tray with about 2 cm gaps. If the dough softens, chill for 10 minutes and add that waiting time to the total.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Roll and cut forty rounds

5. 5

   Bake the cookies in two batches

   Bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf for 12–15 minutes. The tops should be matte and firm, the bases only lightly golden, with no damp centre. Check from 12 minutes; thickness and oven performance can change the time. Remove with oven gloves, then bake the second tray the same way. The cooking estimate allows 30 minutes for both batches; do not aim for a deeply toasted colour.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Bake the cookies in two batches

6. 6

   Cool completely

   Leave the cookies on their tray for 5 minutes because they are still fragile. Transfer with a broad spatula to a wire rack and cool for about 25 more minutes, until completely cold. Do not fill warm cookies: the dulce de leche would soften and the cookies would break more easily.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Cool completely

7. 7

   Fill and coat the edges in coconut

   Pair the 40 cookies by size and turn one of each pair bottom-side up. Divide the 350 g thick dulce de leche among the 20 bases, about 17–18 g per alfajor, using a clean spoon or piping bag. Top with the second cookie and press gently until the filling barely reaches the edge. Put the 30 g coconut in a shallow dish and roll only each alfajor’s edge in it so it sticks to the filling.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Fill and coat the edges in coconut

8. 8

   Serve and store

   Serve the 20 alfajores once the filling has settled, handling them gently. Store in a closed container with paper between layers, refrigerated at 4 °C or below, and eat within 3 days or sooner if required by the dulce de leche label. To freeze, wrap individually for up to 1 month and thaw in the refrigerator. Coconut and cookies soften over time.

   
   ×

   Cornstarch alfajores with dulce de leche and coconut: Serve and store

The step photos are illustrative.