Alfajores de Maicena

Name: Alfajores de Maicena
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients: 28 oz Sweetened condensed milk, two cans, for the dulce de leche; 150 g Cornstarch; 100 g All-purpose flour; 1 tsp Baking powder; 100 g Unsalted butter, softened; 75 g Powdered sugar; 2 Eggs (large), yolks only; 1 Lemon, zest only; 1 tsp Vanilla extract (pure) (optional); ½ cup Desiccated coconut (unsweetened), for rolling the edges (optional)

3 hrServes 10$37.76

Crumbly cookies made mostly from cornstarch, with butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks, and lemon zest, are sandwiched with a thick layer of dulce de leche and often rolled in coconut at the edges. The dulce de leche is made at home by slowly baking sweetened condensed milk, which takes about an hour and a half; coconut is optional.

Ingredients

28 ozSweetened condensed milktwo cans, for the dulce de lecheBuy 2 cans
150 gCornstarchBuy 1 box
100 gAll-purpose flourBuy 1 bag
1 tspBaking powderBuy 1 can
100 gUnsalted buttersoftenedBuy 1 package
75 gPowdered sugarBuy 1 bag
2Eggs (large)yolks onlyBuy 1 carton
1Lemonzest only
1 tspVanilla extract (pure) (optional)Buy 1 bottle
½ cupDesiccated coconut (unsweetened) (optional)for rolling the edgesBuy 1 bag

Substitution

Sweetened condensed milk in place of “Dulce de leche, about 2 cups”. Dulce de leche is made at home by baking sweetened condensed milk in a covered dish set in a water bath; dulce de leche is not a canonical ingredient, and the homemade version is slightly less smooth and less thick.

Method

For the dulce de leche, heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Pour the condensed milk into a glass or ceramic baking dish, cover tightly with foil, set it in a larger pan, and add hot water to come halfway up the dish.
Bake, topping up the water as needed, until the milk is thick and caramel-colored, about 1 1/2 hours; whisk until smooth and let it cool completely.
Beat the butter and powdered sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla if using.
Whisk the cornstarch, flour, and baking powder, and mix them in just until a soft dough forms; wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll the dough 5 mm thick, cut 4 to 5 cm rounds, and bake on lined sheets until set but still pale, 8 to 10 minutes; cool completely.
Sandwich pairs of cookies with a generous spoonful of dulce de leche and roll the edges in coconut if using.