The alfajor -- a kind of cookie sandwich -- is an entirely different cookie depending on where you find it. In Spain, it could be a Christmas cookie of honey, almonds and spices. In South America, it's filled with dulce de leche or jam and covered in chocolate, powdered sugar or, in the case of the alfajor de nieve, meringue. In every country, it's a genius way to eat two cookies for the guilt of one.
Michael Cordua shares the recipe for his version, after the jump.
Yields: 20 alfajores
Ingredients
5 cups all purpose flour ½ cup confectioner's sugar 1 ¾ cups salted butter 6 ½ ounces dulce de leche
Directions
1. In a mixer, combine flour and sugar at low speed for 1 minute. 2. Cut butter into small cubes. Add butter to flour mixture and continue mixing at low speed until it forms dough. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix for 30 seconds. 3. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours before using. Preheat oven to 300°F. 4. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out dough to ½-inch thickness. 5. Cut dough into rounds using a 1½-inch round cutter. 6. Place cookies ½ inch apart on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. 7. Immediately remove cookies from sheet pan and allow them to cool. 8. Turn cookies over so that bottoms will be on the inside of the cookie sandwiches. Using either a spreader or a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch pastry tip, pipe or spread ½ tablespoons of dulce de leche over half the cookies, covering only the center of each one. Top with another cookie to form an alfajor sandwich cookie. 9. Lightly dust the alfajores with confectioner's sugar prior to serving. Store alfajores in the refrigerator if not serving immediately.
