Thursday, February 24, 2011

Alfajores - The South American Cookie

Alfajores [Al•fa•kho•res] is a South American sandwich cookie with a dulce de leche filling. My half Argentine mother would make these crumbly cookies on big occasions like New Years Eve and family birthday parties and needless to say, they were always a hit. Something about the sugarless cookie combined with the smooth, extra sweet dulce de leche filling partnered with a crunch of coconut shredding always got the crowd asking for more. And of course, get the kids (my elder brother and I) nagging for her to hide the rest of the cookies to have all to ourselves *cue evil laughter*



Many would ask for the recipe but it's my mother's well-kept secret which was passed on from my pure Argentine great grandmother. She would have my head if I shared it myself so, I'm sorry that I can't reveal this one!




The cookies don't spread at all while they bake, they just rise ever-so-slightly and look a little more golden

I've always watched mom bake Alfajores but only dared to help her out when it came to spreading the dulce de leche and sandwiching the cookies together. This time, the tables have turned. I'm becoming a lot more comfortable in the kitchen so I decided to try it out myself while mom kept a non-judgmental eye on me.

I can never get enough of Dulce De Leche





This time, mom did the helping out and the hand modeling :)






Victory is when I'm told that my Alfajores reminded my mom of her grandmother's who was very dear to my mother's heart. That, by far, is one of the kindest compliments I've ever gotten regarding anything I baked. Thank you mom, I love you.
Nibbled & Posted by at 2:05 PM
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13 comments:

  1. Devina DivechaFebruary 24, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    Haha, okay...no recipe sharing, but how long does it normally take to make this?

    ReplyDelete
  2. MichFebruary 24, 2011 at 2:28 PM

    These are the best recipes, the ones handed down from generation to generation. Well done! :-)

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  3. Yasmin @ Red Panda BakesFebruary 24, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    @Devina: Preparation, baking and assembling took about 1 hour and 15 min. My mom can finish it in 45 min though, she's a pro! :)

    @Mich: Yes, it's such a privilege to get my hands on such a wonderful recipe. Thank you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. saharlatheefFebruary 28, 2011 at 2:25 PM

    But I want to try making this :( It looks heavenly.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yasmin @ Red Panda BakesMarch 1, 2011 at 12:31 PM

    I'm sorry Sahar, these are available for sale though! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. MaliZOMGMarch 1, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    SLUUUUURP

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownMarch 1, 2011 at 2:57 PM

    how do i order a batch of these?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yasmin @ Red Panda BakesMarch 1, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    Hi Mohammed, you can contact me on yasmin.mebar@gmail.com and we can take it from there! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. HabibMay 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM

    I need a bucketful of these.....for science.

    ReplyDelete
  10. KaraJuly 4, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    Hi Yasmin. Did you use ready made caramel? If so, where can I find a jar? Thank you and lovely blog. xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yasmin @ Red Panda BakesJuly 6, 2011 at 12:04 PM

    Hi Kara, I've used Dulce De Leche which looks like a caramel but isn't. I make it myself and will be posting about it soon.

    Although, if you live in Dubai, you can find a jar of these at a kiosk in Mercato, located right next to Pull & Bear, it's called Castanea. They sell jars of Dulce De Leche made in Argentina :)

    Thanks for stopping by :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. saharlatheefAugust 10, 2011 at 4:22 PM

    But I want to try making this :( It looks heavenly.

    ReplyDelete
  13. MassimoJanuary 20, 2013 at 11:57 AM

    Hi Yasmin! i have been recommended you by several people as the go to baker for alfajores in dubai, i would like to place an order for like 10 dulce de leche and 10 chocolate alfajores if it is possible for wednesday, kindly let me know and thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete

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