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Alfajores de Maicena with Dulce de Leche filling and coconut edges, placed beside a jar of caramel.

Alfajores de Maicena

Buttery, crumbly, and filled with Dulce de Leche, these Alfajores de Maicena melt in your mouth and make every tea time feel special. A traditional treat that is simple to make and share.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Argentinian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 23 minutes
Servings: 9 Alfajores
Author: Manuela Zangara

Ingredients

  • 150 gms – 1 ¼ cups cornstarch
  • 100 gms – ¾ cup plain flour – I used low FODMAP and gluten-free
  • 80 gms – 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 100 gms – ½ cup butter – at room temperature (I used vegetable spread)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • Dulce de Leche – to fill
  • Fine desiccated coconut – to roll in

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and creamy.
  2. Add the egg yolks and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.
  3. Sift the cornstarch, plain flour, and baking powder into the bowl.
  4. Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a spatula, then knead by hand until the dough comes together into a smooth ball.
  5. Roll out the dough to about 0.5 cm – 0.2 inches thickness.
  6. Cut into 5 cm – 2 inch rounds and arrange them on a tray lined with baking paper.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C – 355 °F for about 8 minutes. Let them cool for 2 minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

  8. Once cooled, spread or pipe Dulce de Leche onto half of the cookies.

  9. Top with the remaining halves to form sandwiches, and roll the sides in desiccated coconut.

Recipe Notes

  • To get a neat, bakery-style look, use Dulce de Leche Repostero, which is thicker than regular Dulce de Leche. The filling won’t spread too much, and the cookies will look cleaner and more put together.
  • To make Dulce de Leche Repostero, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 4 tablespoons of milk and stir it into your Dulce de Leche near the end of the cooking process.