Ingredients
Scale
- 1 & 2/3 cups (233 g) all purpose flour
- 2½ cups (300 g) cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1¼ cup (254 g) unsalted butter, softened (2.5 sticks)
- 3/4 cup (150 g) white sugar
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cognac
- 1½ cups (525 g) arequipe or dulce de leche
- ½ cup (30 g) unsweetened shredded or grated coconut (optional)
- ½ cup (58 g) powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on low speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, then add the lemon zest, vanilla extract and cognac. Then slowly add the dry ingredients until you get a crumbly but workable dough.
- Cut the dough in half, shape into squares or rectangles and wrap them with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Place the refrigerated dough on a floured surface, flour a rolling pin and roll it out to about ¼ inch (.64 cm) thick. Cut the dough with a 2 inch (5 cm) round cookie cutter to make an even number of cookies. Place the cookies ½ inch (2.54 cm) apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake for about 10-13 minutes or until the underside has a light golden brown color. Remove them from the oven, let them rest for 1 minute on the cookie sheet and then let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Spread 1 tsp of arequipe on the underside of half of the cookies and then place the rest of the cookies on top of the arequipe to make a sandwich. Press them lightly to squeeze out the arequipe and then roll the alfajores in the shredded coconut or lightly dust with the powdered sugar.