PREP TIME: 30 MIN | COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES | RESTING DOUGH TIME: 30 MINUTES | SERVINGS: 19 COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
150 grams gluten-free plain flour
150 grams corn flour (Maziena)
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
pinch of salt
100 grams caster sugar
150 grams butter, at room temperature (I've used margarine before, and it worked perfectly)
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence
FILLING
Store bought or homemade dulce de leche
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparing the dough
Sift and mix both flours and xanthan gum in a medium bowl
In either a stand mixer or a bowl, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks, mixing in well, followed by the vanilla essence.
Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture
Bring the dough together using your hands and knead until the dough comes together and appears smooth.
Divide and roll the dough into 3 rough dough balls
Next, press each dough ball down, using the heel of your hand. Repeat this process until the dough feels soft enough to roll out.
Cover the dough balls in cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough can be chilled up to 24 hours.
Rolling out the dough
Lay out a sheet of baking paper on the kitchen counter and place the chilled dough on it.
Cover the dough with a large piece of plastic film and roll out the dough 1 cm thick. This prevents the dough from sticking and also prevents more flour from being added, otherwise the alfajores may become too dry.
Either using a 5 cm round cookie cutter or the rim of a similar-sized small glass, cut out circles close to each other.
Transfer each cut-out alfajor to a lined baking tray, positioning them 1 cm apart.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°.
Bake for 10 mins on the middle shelf, turning the tray around halfway through baking.
Assembling
Flip over half of the baked cookies on the tray.
Transfer the store-bought or homemade dulce de leche to a piping bag or if you prefer, use a spatula to spread approximately 1 tbsp of dulce de leche on the flipped-over cookies.
Cover each filled cookie with the unfilled cookie side, pressing and twisting the cookie so that the filling spreads evenly.
Roll the cookie on its side in the coconut. Using your fingers, sprinkle some extra coconut over any dulce de leche that didn’t catch some of the coconut during the first roll.
Transfer the assembled alfajores to a cake tin or plastic container to store in a cool place.
Keeps for 1 week in a cool place or refrigerator.
Suitable to freeze.
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