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Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding with Pecan Toffee Sauce
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Dessert
Argentine Alfajores de Maicena with Dulce de Leche
Tender lemon-vanilla cornstarch cookies sandwich thick dulce de leche, with coconut around the edges for the classic bakery finish.
Directions
Combine the dry ingredients
Whisk cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly. Line two sheet pans with parchment and heat the oven to 350°F.
Cream gently
Beat butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and slightly lighter, not dramatically fluffy. Beat in yolks one at a time, then vanilla and lemon zest.
Make a tender dough
Mix in dry ingredients on low just until clumps form. Press together by hand. If dry crumbs will not hold, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time; avoid overmixing once the flour is hydrated.
Chill and roll
Flatten dough into a disk, wrap and chill 30 minutes. Roll between parchment sheets to 1/4 inch thick. Cut 28 rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and place 1 inch apart on the pans.
Bake pale and tender
Bake one pan at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once, until tops are dry and bottoms only barely golden. Do not brown the tops. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then completely on a rack.
Fill the sandwiches
Pipe or spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons dulce de leche onto the flat side of 14 cookies. Top with the remaining rounds and press gently until filling reaches the edge.
Coat and settle
Roll each exposed filling edge in coconut. Rest assembled alfajores in a covered container for at least 1 hour so the cookie and filling settle into a neat, tender sandwich.
Why this works
Why it worksA cornstarch-forward dough bakes into the delicate, pale crumb that distinguishes alfajores de maicena from ordinary shortbread sandwiches.
Why it worksChilling and rolling between parchment limits added flour, so the rounds keep their shape without becoming dry.
Why it worksThick pastry-style dulce de leche holds a generous edge that gives the coconut something to grip, matching the finished cookies in the photograph.
Useful kitchen gear
Tools that make this easier.
Compare the function and specifications first; skip anything your kitchen already handles well.
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Compare on AmazonDigital kitchen scaleWeighed cornstarch and flour prevent compacted cups from making the delicate cookies chalky.See current options →
Compare on Amazon2½-inch round cutterOne consistent diameter produces 28 matching rounds and 14 tidy sandwich cookies.See current options →
Compare on AmazonRimmed sheet pansFlat, light-colored pans help the cornstarch cookies set while their tops remain characteristically pale.See current options →
Swaps & notes
Easy swaps
- Use finely shredded sweetened coconut if that is what is available; the finished cookie will be sweeter.
- Orange zest can replace lemon zest for a warmer citrus note.
- Do not replace cornstarch cup-for-cup with flour; that would create a different, firmer cookie and remove the defining texture.
Cook notes
- Total time includes 30 minutes chilling, baking in batches, cooling enough to fill and a 1-hour covered settling period; much of that time is hands-off.
- Use commercial or safely prepared dulce de leche. Do not boil an unopened can, which can rupture.
- Weigh cornstarch and flour when possible; compacted cups can make these delicate cookies chalky.
- Because the dough contains egg yolks, avoid tasting it raw and wash tools and surfaces after handling.
Storage
Store assembled alfajores airtight at cool room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; bring to room temperature before serving. Freeze unfilled cookies up to 2 months, then thaw and fill.
Questions
Why are my alfajores crumbly?
The dough may have too much flour or too little moisture. Weigh the dry ingredients, mix only until combined and add milk by the teaspoon only until the dough holds together.
Can I use caramel sauce instead of dulce de leche?
Pourable caramel is too loose. Use a thick pastry-style dulce de leche that holds a mound and will not run from the sandwich.
Why should the cookies stay pale?
Browning dries the cornstarch-heavy dough and changes its delicate texture. Look for set, matte tops and only the faintest color underneath.
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Argentine Alfajores de Maicena with Dulce de Leche
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1. Combine the dry ingredientsWhisk cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly. Line two sheet pans with parchment and heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Cream gentlyBeat butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and slightly lighter, not dramatically fluffy. Beat in yolks one at a time, then vanilla and lemon zest.
3. Make a tender doughMix in dry ingredients on low just until clumps form. Press together by hand. If dry crumbs will not hold, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time; avoid overmixing once the flour is hydrated.
4. Chill and rollFlatten dough into a disk, wrap and chill 30 minutes. Roll between parchment sheets to 1/4 inch thick. Cut 28 rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and place 1 inch apart on the pans.
5. Bake pale and tenderBake one pan at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once, until tops are dry and bottoms only barely golden. Do not brown the tops. Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then completely on a rack.
6. Fill the sandwichesPipe or spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons dulce de leche onto the flat side of 14 cookies. Top with the remaining rounds and press gently until filling reaches the edge.
7. Coat and settleRoll each exposed filling edge in coconut. Rest assembled alfajores in a covered container for at least 1 hour so the cookie and filling settle into a neat, tender sandwich.