Chocolate Alfajores with Dulce de Leche
This alfajores recipe is easy to make. Made by 2 chocolate shortbread cookies, filled with dulce de leche and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Belula
November 03, 2020
Alfajores are a classic treat I grew up with. If you go to a Kiosk in Argentina, you can probably choose from no less than 20 different alfajores brand! And I am being cautious over here 😉. They are a big thing over there, we take alfajores seriously! And an even bigger thing for any argentine living abroad. I am part for several facebook groups of argentine expats and probably one in three posts are related to alfajores, how to make them or where to get them! This a simple chocolate alfajores recipe that you can make in one afternoon. Hope you love it as much as I do.
What are alfajores?
If you want to know more about alfajores, you can check this page What Are Alfajores? Your Guide to the South American Treat.
How to make alfajores?
For this alfajores recipe you will need to assemble 2 main components:
- Alfajores cookies
- Dulce de leche
Once the chocolate cookies have been baked and cooled off you must:
- Turn half of the alfajores cookies over and fill each with a spoonful of dulce de leche at the center.
- Top each one with another chocolate cookies. Gently press down to evenly spread the dulce de leche feeling.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Enjoy!
Some tips on how to get that nice round shape for your alfajores cookies.
The key is working with cold dough throughout the whole process. It might mean they will take a little longer, but it is worth it:
- Shortbread chocolate cookie dough: once it is done, you should refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling out.
- After rolling out and before cutting the 5 cm rounds, it should go back in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- After cutting the rounds, and placing them on a lined baking sheet pop them back into the refrigerator for another 30 minutes (minimum).
What kind of dulce de leche should you use?
You can use any kind of dulce de leche you can find if it holds up. If it spreads fast, you should find another one. Trial and error.
I like to use argentine dulce de leche for my alfajores. I may be biased though 😉.
How long do alfajores last?
You can keep this chocolate alfajores for about 5 days at room temperature. If you live in a humid place, make sure to store them in an airtight container.
Can alfajores be frozen?
I discourage you from freezeing them once they are assembled and filled with dulce de leche.
However, you can freeze the alfajores cookie dough after you have cut the 5 cm rounds. Freeze on a baking sheet covered, once they are frozen transfer to a freezer container. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
To defrost: place the chocolate shortbread cookies on a baking tray for 15 minutes before baking.
Variations to this chocolate alfajores recipe
You can use different fillings:
The ingredients used in all recipes on this site are measured using the metric system. I use a
scale to be precise with my measurements and ensure good results. If you would also like to use a scale, here are some:
USA,
Canada,
UK,
Australia,
France.
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 38 minutes
Servings: 15 alfajores
Nutrition: 168 cal
Cuisine: Argentinian
-
Unsalted Butter
100 g
-
Powdered Sugar
50 g
-
Egg Yolks
1
-
All-purpose Flour
125 g
-
Cacao Powder
25 g
-
Dulce de Leche
350 g
- 1. Sift the flour and the cacao together.
- 2. Mix the softened butter with the powdered sugar.
- 3. Add the egg yolk and 1/3 of the flour/cacao mixture and mix until combined.
- 4. Add the rest of the flour/cacao and mix until a dough has formed. Don't knead.
- 5. Shape into a rectangle, cover with parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- 6. Pre-heat the oven to 170 C° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 7. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to ¾ mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Make sure you always have a little flour under the dough to prevent it from sticking and breaking. Chill for 30 minutes.
- 8. Cut rounds of 5 cm in diameter and place them on the lined baking sheet, living space between them. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 9. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Once they are ready transfer to a wire rack and let them cool down. They are fragile so use a small spatula to do this.
- 10. Turn half of the alfajores cookies over and fill each with a spoonful of dulce de leche at the center.
- 11. Top each one with another chocolate cookie. Gently press it down to evenly spread the dulce de leche feeling.
- 12. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!
If you made this recipe I would really appreciate it if you leave a rating or comment below! Also, if you share on social media please use #cookwithbelula, I would love to see what you create!
