Patagonian Alfajores

Step into the world of Argentine desserts with these scrumptious Patagonian Alfajores. Delicately crafted with a rich chocolate cookie base, these treats are generously filled with luscious dulce de leche and a tangy red fruit jam. Perfect for beginners, this recipe will guide you through creating these delightful sandwich cookies that melt in your mouth, each bite offering a symphony of flavors.

Ingredients

Dough:
🥚 1 large egg
🍬 70g granulated sugar
🧈 100g soft butter
🍯 1 tbsp honey
🍨 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
🍫 20g bitter cocoa powder
🍚 50g cornstarch
🥄 1 tsp baking soda
🥄 1 tsp baking powder
🌾 190g all-purpose flour

Filling:
🍓 400g fresh or frozen red fruits, brand unspecified (e.g., strawberries, blueberries)
🍬 100g granulated sugar
🥛 200g pastry dulce de leche

Coating:
🍫 300g semi-sweet chocolate chips, brand unspecified
🌻 30ml neutral oil, brand unspecified (e.g., sunflower or corn oil)

Instructions

1- Dough Preparation:

• In a large ceramic mixing bowl with a floral design, cream together the soft butter, sugar, and honey using a white electric hand mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Add the egg and vanilla essence, mixing well until combined.
• Sift together all-purpose flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda using a light blue metal crank-style flour sifter. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture, combining with a pink silicone spatula.
• Gently bring the dough together using your hands. Do not knead. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2- Rolling and Baking:

• Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of generic plastic film to a thickness of 2mm using a plain white rolling pin.
• Cut out circles with a 6cm light blue fluted-edge cookie cutter and place them on a metal baking sheet lined with a brown silicone mat from the "Practi..." brand.
• Bake for 8–10 minutes and let them cool on a round metal cooling rack.

3- Red Fruit Jam:

• Dice the red fruits and combine them with sugar in a reddish-brown saucepan.
• Cook the mixture over medium heat with a wooden spoon until it starts to boil. Simmer for another 5 minutes for a jam-like consistency. Let it cool completely.

4- Assembly:

• Fill a piping bag fitted with a metal nozzle with dulce de leche.
• Pipe a border of dulce de leche around each cooled cookie, fill the center with the red fruit jam using a small spoon, and top with another cookie.
• Smooth any excess dulce de leche with a small spoon to seal the filling. Optionally, freeze for 30 minutes for ease of coating.

5- Chocolate Coating:

• Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a clear glass bowl placed over a stainless steel bowl for a bain-marie method.
• Stir in neutral oil and mix until smooth.
• Use two forks to fully coat each alfajor with chocolate. Slide the coated alfajores onto parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to set.

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 8–10 minutes
Total Time: Approx. 1 hour 30 minutes (including chilling)
Servings: 10 Alfajores
Equipment: Large Ceramic Mixing Bowl, White Electric Hand Mixer, Light Blue Metal Flour Sifter, Plain White Rolling Pin, 6cm Light Blue Fluted-edge Cookie Cutter, Metal Baking Sheet, Brown Silicone Baking Mat, Oven, Wooden Spoon, Reddish-brown Saucepan, Piping Bag with Metal Nozzle, Round Metal Cooling Rack, Clear Glass Bowl, Stainless Steel Bowl for Bain-marie Setup.

Cooking Tips

• Handle the dough delicately to maintain tenderness.
• Opt for freezing the alfajores briefly before coating to assist with handling.

Serve these Patagonian Alfajores as a delightful standalone dessert and experience a unique taste of Argentine sweetness.

Hashtags

#alfajores #argentine #dessert #baking #dulcedeleche #chocolate #pastry #sweet

#elusweets

Patagonian Alfajores