This classic, South American alfajores recipe is filled with melt-in-your-mouth dulce de leche and rolled in shredded coconut. They are so soft, delicate, decadent, and so easy to make! You’ll love how the different textures come together to create an amazing cookie.
As far as I know, there are two ways of making alfajores: the Argentinean style and the American style. While the latter is usually made of a simple shortbread cookie, the classic Argentinean cookies are so much better in texture, and are the most melt-in-your-mouth cookies on this planet. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but let me have my moment.
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What are alfajores?
Alfajores are a classic Argentinian cookie filled with dulce de leche and rolled in coconut. Not only is this combination heavenly, but the cookie itself is extremely soft and tender.
The coconut adds a great flavor and cuts some of the sweetness, so I strongly suggest adding it. While you can make your own dulce de leche at home, I prefer using store-bought for these cookies because it really tastes just as good.
In this recipe, two ingredients to point out are cornstarch and egg yolks:
- Cornstarch: Adds a soft, melt-in-your mouth texture to the cookies.
- Egg yolks: I prefer using egg yolks instead of whole eggs because yolks help create an amazingly tender cookie.
How to make the best alfajores cookies
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, including flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until the fluffy, about 3 minutes. This helps incorporate air into the cookies. If you see some of the butter stuck to the side of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to scrape it down.
- Slowly add the egg yolks and vanilla extract one at a time, mixing completely before adding the next. Don’t forget to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Lastly, add the dry ingredients in three additions, and mix until the dough just comes together.
- Let’s talk about the chilling time for these cookies. I know it can be frustrating when you just want your cookies and you want them now. Totally been there! But for cookies that hold their shape well and don’t spread out while baking, the dough has to be chilled long enough. For this recipe, you’ll need to chill the dough twice. The first time is once the dough has been made. It’ll be too soft for rolling, so you’ll need to chill it for 1-2 hours in the shape of a ball, until firm. The second chilling is before baking the cookies. Just place the sheet of cookies in the fridge or freezer until they’re firm, at least 15 minutes.
- Bake until the cookies are barely brown and remove from the oven. Once they are cooled, place a bit of dulce de leche in the middle of a cookie, and press down with another cookie forming a sandwich. Roll the exposed dulche de leche on the sides in coconut, and indulge.
Tips for making the best alfajores cookies
- When making the dough, if it feels dry, you can add a little bit of cold water or milk a little at a time, just until the dough comes together.
- Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined. If mixing for a long time, the cookies can turn out tough from producing too much gluten. Overall, play with the dough as little as possible.
- While it can be tempting, don’t fill your alfajores with too much dulce de leche because the cookies may start to fall apart with too much filling.
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More of the best cookie recipes:
- Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies: Rich and creamy Nutella is sandwiched between two delicious hazelnut butter cookies.
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies: These chocolate cookies are so decadent yet delicate. The chocolate cookies are slightly soft and filled with smooth and creamy chocolate ganache.
- Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies: A chocolate chip cookie lovers’ dream. These cookies are soft and chewy in the middle but have crispy edges and are loaded with chocolate chips.
- Chewy Oatmeal Cookies: A wonderfully rich and chewy cookie made with oats and chocolate chips. A classic in my house!
Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ⅛ cups (300g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and ¾ sticks (200g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar or 1 ¼ cups (150g) powdered sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 350 g (12 oz.) dulce de leche, for filling
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded or desiccated coconut , for rolling
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
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In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract just until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Do not overmix or the cookies will turn out tough.
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Form the dough into a ball, then flatten slightly to form a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until firm enough to roll.
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If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to a month, then thaw it overnight in the fridge.
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Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface (or between 2 pieces of parchment paper), roll the dough to a ⅛ or ¼-inch (3-5mm) thickness. Cut out into rounds using a 2-inch (5cm) fluted or round cookie cutter, and place the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
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If at any point the dough becomes too warm, place it back into the fridge for a few minutes. Re-roll the remaining scraps and repeat. Place sheets with cookies in the freezer or fridge for at least 15 minutes, until firm, so that they will be less prone to spreading.
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Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until cookies appear golden brown at the edges. Allow cookies to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Spread the bottom half of the cookies with dulce de leche (about a teaspoon). Sandwich together with remaining cookies, pressing slightly so that the caramel oozes out the sides. Roll the sides in shredded coconut.
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Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, leave on the counter, still covered, or overnight in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Tips for making the best alfajores cookies:
- When making the dough, if it feels dry, you can add a little bit of cold water or milk a little at a time, just until the dough comes together.
- Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined. If mixing for a long time, the cookies can turn out tough from producing too much gluten. Overall, play with the dough as little as possible.
- While it can be tempting, don’t fill your alfajores with too much dulce de leche because the cookies may start to fall apart with too much filling.
Heather says
I cant wait to try these out! Ive been looking for a recipe for alfajores to make for my Colombian husband 🙂 Ive found a few recipies but i like how you give details on how to complete each step to make it fool proof! Great site.
Shiran says
Thank you so much Heather! Definitely try these cookies! Even if they don’t turn out perfect for the first time, they would taste amazing for sure 🙂
Heidi Harris says
You did not mention how to make the dulce de leche. My mother is from Peru, where these cookies originated. It has been a long tradition to make alfajores during the Christmas holidays. My sister made them this year, and the cookies themselves bring back so many memories. Did you make the dulce de leche with condensed milk in the can? Just curious. 🙂
Shiran says
Hi Heidi. Where I’m from it’s easy to find high quality store-bough dulce de leche. If you can’t get any then you should make it with condensed milk 🙂
Magdalena says
Sorry to correct you Heidi Harris, they are from Spain. The Spanish version of the ALFAJOR made its way to South America in the 16 th century with the invasion of Spanish conquistadores! I’m from Chile and the ALFAJOR is very popular in my country also.
Ysa says
Y the coconut? I’m Peruvian and we always top them with powder sugar? I’ve never heard of using coconut
Crista says
YSA, Alfajores aren’t eaten only in Peru so other places do them different. Alfajores are originally a Middle Eastern treat brought over by the Spaniards. South American’s adapted the recipe to create a more sweeter treat.
himavarsha sk says
Hi this lovely recipe which i want to try. As we don’t eat eggs. Is it possible to suggest an alternative for them please.
Thanks in advance
SophiaBianca Pipho says
Hi my dough is very flaky and falling apart what should I do?!
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Sophia, you can add a bit of water or milk to add more moisture to bring the dough together 🙂
Isabel says
Our local Uruguayan restaurant uses coconut.
Camille says
I am no great baker. I work with Latino, Colombian women who buy these from local bakeries in their neighborhood. They said these were better than they ever tasted. I agree.
Cheska says
These look delicious! How do you think they’d hold when molded into a kiss shape? I’m trying to recreate the dulce de leche kisses from Porto’s bakery, and I feel like yours is one worth trying 😀
Shiran says
Hi Cheska! The dulce de leche kisses look beautiful! However, I’m not sure if the dough will work for those cookies. Maybe Google ‘filled cookies’ to come up with some ideas!
nicole (thespicetrain.com) says
Oh my goodness, they look absolutely divine! Beautiful photography, too, gorgeous light and styling.
Izola says
Thanks for the recipe. Made these cookies today and they were just great! Can’t get over how tender they were.
Shiran says
Thank you, Izola!
Taylor says
I just made the dough but I wasn’t sure how dry / wet the dough should be? Initially it was a bit sandy but I added a little water (didn’t want to add too much)… do you know what the consistency of dough should be like? It still seemed a little dry.
Shiran says
Alfajores dough is quite soft. As with any other dough, if it’s crumbly add a bit of water, or if too wet, a bit of flour, until it comes together. It’s also important to chill the dough, otherwise it would be too soft to work with.
Libby Folet says
Your recipe is as close to my ex sister in law.
Such delicious biscuits..
After my experience purchasing a couple from a local patisserie today I knew I had to come home and bake!! I’m pretty excited to taste the final product!!!
Iva says
Best recipe for alfajores dough Ive ever had….super easy to handle. Thank u so much!!!! Ive tried many recipes and this is the best!
Iva says
Great recipe! My coworkers are going nuts over them right now!!!!
Shiran says
I’m so glad!! Thank you so much Iva!
Daniell says
We’ve tried many recipes for alfajores over the years but my mom agreed that hands-down, this recipe has been the best so far. The cookies come out with just the right amount of crumble and are absolutely delicious. Love how the lemon and coconut play off each other, gives the sandwiches a bright twist!
Lily says
How much is 1 and 3/4 stick of butter in cups?
Shiran says
That’s 14 tablespoons (or 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons).
Miri says
The most tender cookies I’ve ever had. Thank you!
Heather K Le says
I just made these and it was amaaaazzzinnnnggg! All my friends want me to make more 🙂 Quick question though, I have a gluten intolerant friends, what gluten-free flour can I substitute the AP flour for? I really don’t want to mess with the texture of the cookies too much 🙁
Shiran says
Sorry Heather but I have no experience baking with gluten-free flour.
Rachel says
Can this dough be made ahead of time and put in the freezer or fridge for a couple of days?
Shiran says
Yes it can!
Sombody says
Can I sub butter with olive oil?
Shiran says
This recipe won’t work with olive oil.
Constanza says
Hi! I put the dough in the fridge for several hours and it’s so hard that I can’t roll it. Also it falls apart in little pieces:(
Shiran says
I mention in the recipe that if the dough is hard to roll just let it sit on the counter for several minutes to soften.
Axely says
Ugh same thing happened to me, and I’m not one to read the full story before the recipe so I didn’t see that it may need to add milk or water if too dry. Maybe they should add that to the actual recipe. Since not all of us like the long story before the recipe.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Axely, thank you for your suggestion. I have added the helpful tips into the recipe notes on these cookies.
Chalani says
What is the difference between using icing sugar and granulated sugar?
Sam says
Hi Shiran! Do you prefer using granulated or powdered sugar in the dough? Also, I’ve seen recipes that use tapioca starch in the dough to avoid the aftertaste associated with cornstarch. Is the cornstarch detectable in this cookie?
Shiran says
Hi Sam, I prefer powdered sugar because it gives a more melt-in-your-mouth texture. I think that with the coconut and caramel flavors, you won’t be able to taste to cornstarch that much, so for me that’s ok.
matt says
really good
Caroline says
how many cookies does this make?
Kat says
Delicious cookies! I couldn’t find dolce de leche so I found a recipe that boiled sweetened condensed milk in the can…..it was amazing how well it worked. My son picked these for a video for his Spanish class. I followed the directions as written and I didn’t have any problems. Thanks for such a detailed recipe. I’m sure I’ll make them often!
Stephen Moss says
I found dulce de leche in the ethnic food aisle
Emie says
The powdered sugar is for sprinkling on top or for the dough?
Shiran says
Hi Emie, the sugar is not for sprinkling. You can use either granulated sugar or powdered sugar for the cookie dough.
PVT says
Pls can u gv me an egg substitute especially for this delicious recipe ?
Ericka Alecio says
Banana
Ericka Alecio says
PVT I use banana as eggs substitutes
riya says
hi do you have to use/put lemon in?
Shiran says
No, it’s optional.
Miss Nidhi Subhashchandra Patel says
I do not see lemon in the ingredients. ?? Can you tell me how much lemon to add??
Shiran says
In the updated recipe I don’t use lemon.
Nidhi Patel says
Yet if i wanted to use lemon zest how much should that be?
Shiran says
I used 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.
Jane Doe says
no, we did not put lemon cuz we used all of our extra money buying CORN STARCH! 😉
Jae Astin says
I made these for a group project on Peru for a Business Culture class and came home with very few left over! A handful of my classmates asked for the recipe for it, having loved it so much! Definitely going to make again! I did however mix a little bit of buttercream in the dulce de leche (just so I had a little bit of an easier time piping it on the cookie cause I was afraid to accidentally crush the cookies). My family swiftly devoured the remaining ones shortly after. Definitely a new Christmas cookie at least!
Anna says
Delicious and great texture. Excluded the lemon, but otherwise followed the recipe as directed using granulated sugar. My dough was extremely crumbly and dry – added water by a little at a time… probably added 1/2 – 3/4 cup. It was that dry! Eventually got it to a consistency where it could be rolled. Had to add additional water to the dough when rolling it additional times since it absorbed the dusting flour. Make it! You won’t be disappointed!
Jen says
Delicious cookie that melts in your mouth!!! I just really had to fight with the dough. It was either quite hard to roll and would crumble, or too warm and sticky. The battle was worth it though! These cookies are delicious!
Jen says
Great cookies! The dough I thought looked dry. So I added a few TBS of water and used the technique suggested between parchment paper to roll and voila! They were easy to roll, baked perfectly, and are super light in texture. I’m waiting for the Dulce de Leche sauce in my crockpot to finish overnight and will complete the cookies tomorrow AM. So easy and my 11 year old son helped me!
Lorraine says
How much water is it safe to add. I’ve had 2 failed attempts because the dough is too dry even after adding more butter.
Shiran says
You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time.
Hannah says
these are really good, but took a little longer than 10 minutes to cook!
help please says
how many does this make??? please answer
Shiran says
The recipe makes about 35 2-inch cookie sandwiches.
Ana says
I’m Latin American and by common Latin Knowledge I know that the authentic cookie doesn’t contain BS nor BP because the cookie is not supposed to spread or grow. Can I leave out these ingredients to have a non spread cookie?
Shiran says
Leaving them out will affect the texture of the cookie and it won’t be as soft.
Carleigh says
Thank you for the recipe! My boyfriend is Argentinian and always talks about these so I figured I would give them a try for Valentines Day. They taste very good! I dipped half in chocolate and made half the regular way and they look great. Hopefully he thinks so too tomorrow!
Jane Doe says
We first tried to create this typical hispanic dish but the corn starch amount was tremendous! Later the dough, was at a strange consistency where it looked/felt like sand. I thought I was at a beach(not in a good way.) I restarted. After conquering doe, i added water to create a mystical ball that really completed the crumble to the max. In the end we had leftover doe and made doe babies. The babies tasted real good. We had some chunky cookies but taste was on point. Thank you very much for my chunky yummy dry baby cookies.
Nicole says
HI I was wondering why did my cookie dought came out very sandy? I added water afterwards but I was just wondering the reason for the cookie dought to come out very dry and sandy?
Thankyou for the recipe!!
Shiran says
Sometimes it happens and it depends on the type of flour. As long as you’ve added more water and it was ok, then there’s no issue 🙂
Daniela says
I suggest to use a bit less cornstarch so the final dough is not that sandy. Also, by using icing sugar instead of caster sugar, the icing sugar we buy from supermarkets have already a small quantity of corn starch added in the mix . I don’t think adding water is a good solution, by using water the texture of the alfajores will change as initially the recipe has no water (except the water contained in the butter), so the biscuit won’t be very ‘melt in your mouth’ anymore but a tougher texture.
namrota says
I am dying to try this recipe. I don’t have a paddle attachment, can I first whisk the butter and sugar and then later simply fold in the other ingredients using a spatula?
Shiran says
If you have a hand mixer you can use it with the whisk attachment.
Siv says
Can’t wait to make these! Any idea if coconut oil will work fine instead of butter? Thank you!
Shiran says
I recommend sticking to butter for the best result.
Heather says
I made these today, with powdered sugar and minus the lemon, and the texture was perfect! My kids loved them! My concern was that the taste of cornstarch was very obvious and left a strong aftertaste. What brand cornstarch do you use? Also, can I replace maybe a ½ cup of cornstarch with flour and still have the same texture? Thanks!
Shiran says
Hi Heather. I don’t use a specific brand. Usually when there’s enough filling and coconut, you shouldn’t be able to taste the cornstarch. The cookies have that much cornstarch for that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Mingie says
This was probably one of the more difficult cookies I’ve made (I’m so used to drop cookies where you just shape them into balls), but definitely worth the effort. I think the flavor got better after a few days of sitting in the fridge after assembling. Definitely don’t try to eat it right away, I think you still taste that cornstarchy cookie taste. Thanks for the great recipe!
Lori says
No salt?
Susana Natalia Guido says
I’ve been mading this recipe since I am 10 years old, I am Argentinian so we call this recipe alfajores de Maizena, because there are different types of recipes with variations according to the countryside you are. But for this recipe I’d strongly recommend you to put 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to the Doug. This make an enormous difference. Thanks.
Susana Natalia Guido says
And another thing my mom taught me is to add the amount of regular flour and cornstarch and divided for two and use the same amount of each other. This made the cookies less fragile and doesn’t change the flavour.
Lea says
The recipe is great and has good instructions but the alfajores are not argentinian but Peruvian.
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Lea, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Alfajores were brought to South America originally from Spain, they have multiple origins 🙂
Lori says
Delicious cookie! Definitely needed more water
Donna McFadden says
I made these for Christmas and they were divine! I usually make them with flour, but tried this recipe because I couldn’t find my other recipe. These were great! The dough was very sandy, but I just kneaded it a little bit more without adding water. I roll out the dough to about 1/4-1/2 ” inch, since 1/8″ was too thin for me to get onto the cookie sheet without losing it’s shape. My sister in law from Peru loved them!!
Talia @ Pretty. Simple. Sweet. says
Hi Donna, that’s so great to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Suzanne says
Hi. I’m not sure how these are supposed to taste. I made mistake… when beating the sugar and butter together, I had the egg yolks with it and beat these 3 ingredients together at same time😞. It was supposed to be just the sugar and butter THEN add eggs yolks. They baked just fine. I also omitted salt since I used salted butter. The cookie is pretty bland tasting without the filling. Wondering if this is typical or did I ruin recipe by my mistakes? Thoughts??
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Suzanne, The cookies are a little more bland so that the filling is the star of the show. Possibly the flavors were affected by not creaming together just sugar and butter first. Adding salt separately does help to ensure the right amount is used. Possibly they needed a little more salt than what was in your salted butter?
Sam says
I haven’t tried the recipe yet- however I used to buy these exact biscuits at a charity stall that a little old lady made and oh my goodness I have never tasted anything better! I am going to cook these until I perfect them. Great detail and explanation in this recipe! That’s why I have chosen it, thank you!
Keith Harrison says
When I saw how much flour and cornstarch there was relative to wet ingredients, I should have known trouble was on the way, but I went ahead and got about the driest dough I’ve ever made. Unworkable and had to throw it out.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Keith, as noted in the recipe: when making the dough, if it feels dry, you can add a little bit of cold water or milk a little at a time, just until the dough comes together.
Mix the dough just until the ingredients are combined. If mixing for a long time, the cookies can turn out tough from producing too much gluten. Overall, play with the dough as little as possible.