Martha Stewart Alfajores de Dulce de Leche

Martha Stewart alfajores de dulce de leche is a buttery shortbread sandwich cookie made with flour, cold butter and silky caramel, ready in 2 hours 30 minutes. This easy dessert fits holiday cookie trays, Christmas gifts and potluck tables, and it stays a simple recipe.

Chill the dough for a full hour before you roll it out, because cold butter keeps these cookies tender and crumbly. Skip the rest and the dough turns sticky and spreads in the oven.

Her shortbread skips eggs and leans on a food processor, which keeps the butter cold and the crumb melt-in-the-mouth. The filling is a homemade dulce de leche cooked down from sweetened condensed milk, and it is spread on cold so it holds its shape.

Martha Stewart Alfajores de Dulce de Leche

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Course: DessertCuisine: American, ArgentinianDifficulty: Medium

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

260

kcal

Pale, sandy shortbread rounds hold a thick layer of cold caramel in the middle. Once they sit for a bit, the filling softens into the cookie and everything turns tender.

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
  

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  

• 1/2 cup water
  

• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
  

• Easy Dulce de Leche , chilled
  

Directions

• Prep pan and sift: Line a baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat. Sift together 4 cups flour and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar.
• Make the dough: Pulse the flour mixture with 1 1/2 cups chilled butter in a food processor for about 20 seconds, until it looks like coarse meal. Then pour in 1/2 cup water in a slow stream with the machine running, and stop once the dough comes together.
• Chill the dough: Form the dough into 2 flattened disks and wrap them well in plastic. Refrigerate for 1 hour so the butter firms up again.
• Roll it out: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Then roll out 1 disk on a well-floured surface to a scant 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut the cookies: Cut rounds with a 1 3/4-inch cutter and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the second disk, then gather and reroll the scraps, and sprinkle half the rounds with sanding sugar.
• Bake and cool: Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown, rotating the sheets halfway through. Then move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Fill the cookies: About 30 minutes before serving, spread 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cold dulce de leche on the bottom of each unsugared cookie. Top with a sugared cookie to make a sandwich, then serve right away.

Tools for this recipe

• Cuisinart 14-cup food processor, J.K. Adams French rolling pin, Ateco 11-piece round cutter set. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

How do I store alfajores?

Keep the unfilled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Store any leftover dulce de leche covered in the fridge, then fill the cookies just before serving.

Can I make the dulce de leche ahead of time?

Yes, it keeps for up to a month, which makes planning easy. It takes a while to cook down into a thick caramel on the stovetop, so I make it first and chill it before baking.

Can I add nuts or coconut?

Some versions of alfajores include them, but this one stays simple and buttery. If you want some texture, roll the filled edges in finely chopped nuts or shredded coconut.

Can I use a different cookie cutter size?

A different cutter works, but the yield and bake time change. For smaller rounds, check the cookies a few minutes early, and for larger ones add a little time.

Why did my cookies spread or turn tough?

Spreading usually means the dough was too warm, so give it the full hour in the fridge. Tough cookies come from rerolling the scraps too many times, so gather them gently and roll once more.