Crumbly cornstarch cookies sandwiched with dulce de leche and rolled in desiccated coconut or dipped in dark chocolate — Argentina's most beloved everyday treat.
Alfajores are Argentina's national cookie — not a specialty-shop item or a holiday treat, but something eaten on Tuesday afternoon with a cortado, stuffed into school lunchboxes, sold at every kiosk and airport departure lounge. The word arrives via Arabic 'al-hasú' (filled), carried to Spain by Moorish cooks, then transplanted to the Americas, where each region developed its own version. In Argentina, the alfajor evolved into something quite distinct: two crumbly, melt-in-the-mouth cookies made primarily from cornstarch (maicena) that gives them their characteristic sandy, powdery texture — less like a biscuit, more like a dense cloud. Between them goes a generous layer of dulce de leche. The assembled sandwich is either rolled in desiccated coconut (the classic Cordobés version) or enrobed in dark or milk chocolate (the Buenos Aires commercial style, perfected by the Havanna brand, though any good dark chocolate works magnificently). The key to the correct texture is the high cornstarch ratio — too little maicena and you get a cookie, not an alfajor.
Serves 20
Beat butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, then vanilla and brandy. Sift together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda; add to the butter mixture and mix until a soft, slightly crumbly dough forms. Do not overwork.
Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes until firm enough to roll.
Preheat oven to 160°C. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 7 mm thickness — thicker than you think necessary. Cut rounds using a 5–6 cm cutter.
Cornstarch dough is delicate — work quickly and handle as little as possible. If cracks form, press them gently back together.
Place rounds on parchment-lined trays with 2 cm spacing. Bake 10–12 minutes until just set — they should be barely pale gold on the edges, not browned. Remove immediately; they firm as they cool.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely — at least 30 minutes. Warm cookies will melt the dulce de leche.
Spread a generous spoonful of dulce de leche on the flat side of one cookie. Sandwich with a second cookie, pressing gently to just reach the edges. The filling should be visible.
For coconut alfajores: spread dulce de leche on the sides and roll in desiccated coconut. For chocolate alfajores: dip assembled cookies in tempered dark chocolate and set on parchment until firm.
The 7 mm thickness is important — thinner alfajores are too fragile and don't have the necessary crumb-to-dulce-de-leche ratio.
Use cold-butter method for extra crumbliness: freeze butter and grate it into the flour, then work quickly. The result is more shortbread-like.
If dulce de leche is too runny to stay in the sandwich, refrigerate the jar for 1 hour — it firms up considerably when cold.
Alfajor de maizena with chocolate: fully enrobe in dark couverture chocolate for the commercial style.
Mendocino style: use walnuts and a red wine glaze on the exterior.
Filled with chocolate ganache instead of dulce de leche for a more European-style sandwich cookie.
Assembled alfajores keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Individual baked, unfilled cookies keep up to 2 weeks. Do not refrigerate assembled alfajores with coconut — the coconut absorbs moisture and becomes soggy.
Alfajores originated in Al-Andalus (Moorish Spain) as alajú — a honey-and-nut confection — arriving in the Americas with Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. By the 18th century, versions were documented across the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. The modern cornstarch-based Argentinian version developed in the 19th century in Córdoba, where they were sold at train stations. Commercial production exploded in the 20th century; Havanna (founded in Mar del Plata, 1948) built an empire on chocolate-enrobed alfajores that remain Argentina's most exported food product.
Cornstarch creates the signature melt-in-the-mouth sandy texture by replacing gluten-forming flour proteins with fine starch granules that produce a crumbly, almost powdery cookie. Using all flour would give you a shortbread — denser and chewier — not an alfajor.
Technically yes — jam, chocolate ganache, or buttercream work in the same format — but the result wouldn't be an alfajor. The dulce de leche is what defines the Argentine identity of the cookie.
The dough was too dry or the oven too hot. Ensure the dough is soft but not stiff before rolling, and bake at 160°C — no higher. Cracks usually indicate over-baking.
Per serving (55g / 1.9 oz) · 20 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.